Three-Point Play: Josh Hall, NBA Draft, 2023 class

Could NC State get burned by the NBA again when it comes to its top incoming recruit? Who are some of the top high school freshmen in the country and what does Eric Bossi say he got wrong this spring? All in today’s edition of the Three-Point-Play.

STARTING FIVE: Bama, Gophers, transfer mania, more

2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position

2022 Rankings: Top 75

Kevin Keatts and NC State are hoping that lightning doesn’t strike twice when it comes to their best incoming player electing to skip college and take the prep-to-pros route.

One year after point guard Jalen Lecque elected to skip college, homegrown swingman Josh Hall ended months of speculation Monday by announcing that he too will explore his NBA Draft options.

A five-star forward who currently ranks No. 22 nationally in the class of 2020, Hall is the centerpiece of State’s class that ranks No. 8 overall in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings. A long and rangy wing who projects as a combo forward at the highest level, Hall can shoot from deep, is sneaky athletic and has vast potential as he adds strength to his slender frame. Because this season was a post graduate year for him, he meets the NBA’s guidelines for draft eligibility.

Now, the question is whether or not Hall will choose to remain in the draft. If experience has taught us anything it’s that we’ve yet to see any of the preps who choose to enter the draft end up going to college. If that happens, the good thing for State is that it has a very talented class to fall back on and while losing Hall would be a hit, it shouldn’t derail the progress that Keatts is making in Raleigh.

I’ve had NBA teams asking about Hall for a few months now and they are definitely intrigued by his size and scoring. However, they’ve not seen him near as much as they did a guy like Lecque last season and with the coronavirus pandemic currently preventing any workouts and potentially meaning no Draft Combine or a delayed draft, getting proper feedback is going to be a tricky process for Hall.

In any normal year my gut and past experience tells me that Hall would be likely to remain in the draft, but because things are so up in the air this spring and summer I believe there is still a very good chance that Hall ends up playing for the Pack.

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Speaking of early entry and the NBA Draft. I wrote just a few weeks ago in this very column that I expected the uncertainty about this year’s draft to lead to fewer players entering the draft. Clearly, I was wrong. It doesn’t mean I don’t have some thoughts, though.

The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t done anything to slow down the flood of players -- many of whom have zero chance of being selected -- making themselves available for the draft.

Look, I get that a player can explore their options and return to school. I encourage them to do so. However, I hope that several of these guys understand that they aren’t helping themselves by doing so. This year more than ever.

I’ve been in contact with many NBA teams of late and they are all scrambling to find out as much as they can about legitimate draft prospects. But, they also have to do their due diligence and follow up on anybody that is declaring. Without being able to line up workouts, speak with prospects face to face or do their usual background work, resources are limited for following up on guys. To say that my NBA sources aren’t happy about chasing down info on a bunch of these guys is an understatement.

There are a large number of NBA personnel who believe that many college players are entering the draft simply for social media attention. Instead of simple announcements, many are making edits and videos that are quite frankly making the wrong impression with those who could ultimately be employing them. Also, NBA guys warn me that prospects who are a long way from being ready are only beginning the draft process by having teams build up a list of reasons they wouldn’t draft them that can be hard to reverse after returning to school.

Again, I encourage all players with NBA dreams to do what they can to research where they stand. However, I hope that they understand that each move they make is being scrutinized more than they realize and to be cognizant of how their actions can help or hurt their chances of being selected at some point down the road.

During Monday’s Starting Five, I wrote about how San Diego (Calif.) San Ysidro’s Mikey Williams would likely be in the running for the No. 1 spot in the 2023 class when we release our first ranking of the class in late summer. So, that got me thinking, who are the best players from that class I’ve seen so far. My personal short list would also include Matthew Bewley, Kwame Evans Jr., Dajuan Wagner Jr. and Simeon Wilcher.

Now let me be clear, I’m not saying this would be a top five for rankings, but some of the best I saw in person during the winter. Nevertheless, a quick rundown of the four I just mentioned.

Bewley is a hard-playing and athletic four man from Florida. I love his skill level and his competitive fire is special for a young big man. He’s already got offers from Alabama, DePaul, Florida, Iowa State and USF.

A long and willowy combo forward with face-up skill from Baltimore, Evans isn’t yet quite as productive as some other 2023 prospects, but he is dripping with potential. He has a pretty jumper, is nimble and has a huge ceiling as a prospect with offers from Auburn, DePaul, George Washington, Georgetown and Virginia Tech.

Wagner Jr. is the son of Dajuan Wagner, a true high school legend and one of my all-time favorite players that I have scouted. While D.J. isn’t the athletic freak that his father was, he’s no slouch there and his skill level is absolutely out of this world. He would definitely be in the conversation to begin in the No. 1 spot in 2023 and he had a huge freshman year at Camden (N.J.) High. Shockingly, Wagner has not yet listed any scholarship offers.

Last but not least, Wilcher didn’t have the best game when I saw him but his talent was easy to see. He can do everything you would want a young guard to do and has big upside as a combo who can make plays getting to the rim or burn you from deep. Another potential star out of New Jersey, Wilcher already holds offers from Auburn, Iowa, St. John’s, UCLA and Xavier (where his class of 2020 Rivals150 brother C.J. Wilcher has signed).