It’s rare that official declarations for the upcoming NBA Draft are made during the month of February. For USC guard De’Anthony Melton, special circumstances are in play but, on Wednesday, the talented sophomore guard made his intentions known in officially withdrawing from school and focusing on his professional career.
I would like to announce pic.twitter.com/H2EDvQyZfg
— De’Anthony Melton (@DeAnthonyMelton) February 21, 2018
Melton is seen as a likely first-round pick in what is a loaded 2018 class and the 19-year-old faced sizable expectations for his sophomore campaign in 2017-2018. However, he has been tangled up in the ongoing FBI investigation into college hoops and the Trojans announced in January that Melton wouldn’t be allowed to take the floor this season as a result of an internal investigation.
With that as the backdrop, it does not come as a surprise that the 6’4, 190-pound combo guard chose to enter the NBA Draft, but his announced intentions are a new chapter in what is already a very interesting saga. There are questions about his ultimate upside as an NBA player, especially with regard to his inconsistent jump shot.
Still, Melton is tantalizing due to his size and ability to play at both guard positions. He’s also a potentially pesky defender and creator that, at the very least, could function in a high-level backup role.
In some ways, Melton now has a leg up on some 2018 prospects in that he can entirely focus on the jump to the professional ranks. In the same breath, scouts and pundits will have far less tape on him as an on-court entity in which to evaluate, which could present a number of intriguing questions in the coming months.
