Minnesota's Daniel Oturu Declares for 2020 NBA Draft; Named 2nd-Team All-Big Ten

Sophomore forward/center Daniel Oturu is leaving the University of Minnesota for the 2020 NBA draft, he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. 

"I decided to enter this year's 2020 NBA Draft basically because I felt like this is the right time for me especially with how my season went," Oturu told 247Sports' Evan Daniels. "Basically I felt like this is the best option to go for it. I'm putting all my eggs in the basket for sure."

Oturu was named Second Team All-Big Ten after averaging 20.1 points and 11.3 rebounds across 31 starts during the 2019-20 season. He was the 15-16 Golden Gophers' leading scorer and rebounder.

Oturu improved drastically from his freshman campaign, as he averaged 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds in 35 games (31 starts) in 2018-19. He saw an increased role this season from 23.8 minutes per game as a freshman to 33.9 minutes per game as a sophomore.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman evaluated Oturu in early February:

"We've been hesitant about Oturu, a center with limited bounce, 61 turnovers to 23 assists, a suspect jumper and a post-up-heavy repertoire. But it's tough to ignore his 19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game on 58.8 percent shooting. If his ceiling is a backup center, then to us, he's not an exciting enough gamble in the first round. Although, it sounds like some scouts detect more upside and are higher on his shooting and rim protection."

An anonymous NBA scout described Oturu to Wasserman as "a riser. Plays hard and with defensive toughness. Loved him when scouting him live, and I'll continue to watch."

ESPN's Jonathan Givony has Oturu ranked as the 36th overall prospect in this class (h/t Wojnarowski).

The last Minnesota player to be drafted was Kris Humphries, who went 14th overall to the Utah Jazz in 2004.