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Malik Newman to Enter 2018 NBA Draft, Sign with Agent After 1 Season at Kansas
April 4, 2018
Kansas guard Malik Newman will try to capitalize on an impressive end to the season by declaring for the 2018 NBA draft, per Matt Tait of KUSports.com.
"My two years here was everything that I asked for," Newman said, per Tait. "My redshirt year, I had a chance to develop and Coach [Bill] Self took me under his wing and really prepared me. This year, I had a chance to come out and play and this was the plan, to try to put myself in position to chase my dream."
He plans to sign with an agent, which would officially end his college career with two years of eligibility remaining. Newman spent his freshman year at Mississippi State before transferring to Kansas.
Newman averaged 14.2 points per game this season with the Jayhawks but was red-hot in the postseason. The guard scored 24.0 points per contest to lead the team to a Big 12 tournament title, while his 21.6 PPG in the NCAA tournament was a big reason Kansas reached the Final Four.
He scored 32 points against Duke in the Elite Eight, including all 13 of Kansas' points in overtime.
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Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman didn't have Newman in his top 50 draft prospects entering March, but Jeff Goodman of ESPN noted the impact he made over the past month:
The 2015 McDonald's All-American struggled as a freshman at Mississippi State while averaging 11.3 points. He transferred to Kansas and redshirted last season before showcasing the talent many noted coming out of high school.
At 6'3" with good athleticism and an outstanding outside shot (41.5 percent from three-point range last season), he can be a valuable addition to an NBA team.
For Kansas, though, this represents a major loss. Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com listed the Jayhawks as the top team in his 2018-19 rankings with Newman potentially a preseason All-American.
Their top two scorers, Devonte' Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, are graduating, so the Jayhawks have a lot of production to replace heading into next season.