ANNOUNCEMENT: Zvonimir IvisicHas Announce His Resignation and Departure From Kentucky Wildcats Today….
With three 5-star recruits having come to Lexington in the Class of 2023, the Cats reloaded their roster and maintained a few veterans like Antonio Reeves and Adou Theiro as well.
This team could easily make a very deep NCAA Tournament run.
That said, the Cats are expected to lose several players in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Those players include Reed Sheppard, Ugonna Onyenso, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, and DJ Wagner.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony released his first 2025 NBA Mock Draft without those five names included.
In that projection were three Kentucky Wildcats: Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Aaron Bradshaw. Respectively, they were placed 27th, 40th, and 44th overall among the 60 picks.
Now, especially in Bradshaw’s case, there is potential for any of the three not to stay in college next season. Bradshaw came in as a highly-regarded top-five recruit.
While he’s not come close to looking the part, he did have offseason foot surgery that led to him missing the first month of the season.
NBA teams may be willing to take that into account and take a gamble on him somewhere in the second round if he enters this year’s draft.
While most would seem to agree that staying in Lexington for another season would do them well, if there is potential that they get drafted, that might be the preferred route.
However, Givony considered any player not set to go in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Big Z is already on NBA radars after testing the waters in the past two years.
That means if he enters the draft this year, he’s in for good. No testing the waters for the Croatian big man.
For Theiro, his ceiling will be capped by his 3-point shooting, but he may have a lengthy NBA career ahead of him because of his athleticism and intelligence, along with his strong frame and defensive instincts.
All three are NBA prospects, but Givony may be right in putting them in the 2025 draft, giving them another year in Lexington to develop their talents.
