OKC Thunder: NBA Draft stock up stock down report 5.0
By Rylan Stiles
Kahlil Whitney, Wing, Kentucky…for now.
Ah, here we go, another prospect another time I get to say I was wrong (some of you readers will love seeing that) however, this time misery has company. Like a lot of people, I had Whitney as a bubble first-rounder, landing in the top 35 of NBA Draft prospects entering the year. A lot of NBA Draft folks pontificated that Whitney would be the next in a long line of WIldcat one and done players
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In a way, we were right! Kahlil Whitney will not return to the University of Kentucky next season. The problem is, he also will not be entering the 2020 NBA Draft. This week, the 19-year-old wing announced he would be transferring from UK.
The once five-star prospect was not happy with his role with the Wildcats this season, and who could blame him? The unquestionably talented forward that stands 6’6 and comes in at 210 pounds, has played just 12 minutes per game in Kentucky’s first 18 and is only averaging a point and a rebound per game. He just has not been able to find his rhythm.
This is not a death sentence to Kahlil Whitney’s career by any means, making the right college choice is important to bettering your NBA chances. Hopefully, he lands at a place that will put him in a position to succeed. With each year that goes by, no matter how much prospects improve, their draft stock falls as NBA front offices put so much weight on age and upside more so than reliable production.
I am not ready to wave the white flag on Whitney’s draft prospect future, but I am extremely interested in which school he selects.