We are now a week removed from the 2023 NBA Draft, and seeing 58 players find a new home in the league. The thing that makes the draft so compelling is the fact that these players all came from different backgrounds whether it was College Basketball, the G-League, Overtime Elite and more. While the first eight players off the board who played College Basketball this past season were Freshman, as the first round went on, the more experience came into play off the board.
From picks 14-30 in the first round, there were 10 players drafted who played multiple seasons of College Basketball. Considering the fact that Rookie Christian Braun just played a major role as a rookie for the reigning NBA Champions Denver Nuggets, there is still plenty of evidence to suggest that experience in College Basketball still matters in a big way.
Despite the fact that many people say it hurts you to stay in College for multiple years and it’s best to get to the NBA as soon as possible, there are plenty of players that will really improve their draft stock by staying in school for multiple years. Here are some players that decided to return to school, who will likely hear their name called on draft night of next season.
Kyle Filipowski – Duke
Many people were surprised that Duke’s leading scorer and rebounder as a Freshman last season, would decide to return to school for his Sophomore season. Filipowski likely would have been a first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, however with one more bigtime season, the Westtown, New York native, could be a lottery pick in 2024. Entering last season, the eyes were on guys like Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively III in Duke’s star-studded recruiting class, and there were plenty of questions in terms of just how much Filipowski would be able to contribute right away.
Those questions were answered quickly, as Filipowski averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while also showing he was capable of shooting the ball from three. There weren’t 5 better players in the ACC Conference last season than Filipowski, and there isn’t a player returning to school that had a better season in 2023 either. With two really good Guards also coming back in Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach who should get the skilled 7 footer the ball as much as possible, Filipowski is in a great position to improve on what was a really good Freshman season.
While the consensus opinion is that you should get to the NBA as soon as possible just to earn your second contract as soon as possible, Filipowski deserves a ton of credit for not rushing the process and realizing he can make even more money down the road with just one more really good college season. Filipowski will have a legitimate argument for Preseason National Player of the Year favorite with Zach Edey, by the time the 2023-2024 season gets under way.
Tyrese Proctor – Duke
Filipowski will not be the only player from Duke to make this list, as Sophomore Guard Tyrese Proctor could also be in for a big leap. Reclassifying from the High School Class of 2023, Proctor immediately became a contributor for Duke last season as a Freshman, starting in 34 of the Blue Devils 36 games at only 18 years old. There have been examples of guys who did the same thing throughout recent College Basketball memory, but they clearly weren’t ready to contribute. The opposite could be said for Proctor as the Sydney Australia native showed he had a great feel for the game, averaging 9.4 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for Duke last season.
Two players that would fall into that category from this past season’s NBA Draft were Gregory Jackson from South Carolina and Emoni Bates from Eastern Michigan. At one time like Proctor, both of these players were among the top of their High School Class Rankings, and reclassified up a year in order to get to the NBA as soon as possible. These decisions did not end up helping their cause, as both players put out a lot of bad film during their short college careers, showing they were not ready to contribute in the NBA and their draft stock plummeted to the second round.
Despite the fact that Proctor had his fair share of ups and downs, he did put out some really good film as a Freshman, showing he was ready right away to contribute and help Duke win. As a Sophomore, the 6’5“Guard should be able to breakout and possibly improve his draft stock all the way to a possible lottery pick. Proctor easily could have been a second round pick in this past draft, but one more season of College Basketball and putting more good tape on film, will have Proctor in a great position to make a lot of money in the league at this time next season.
Trey Alexander – Creighton
Alexander has been a significant contributor for a Creighton team that has won a combined 67 games in each of his first two seasons in Omaha. The former Top 100 recruit really improved on his game as a Sophomore and easily would have been at least a second round pick, had he decided to turn pro this season. Instead Alexander will be returning to school for his Junior season, and there aren’t many better returning players in College Basketball.
During his Freshman season, Alexander showed he was capable of helping the team win in any aspect, following the mid-season injury of Point Guard Ryan Nembhard. While many thought Creighton’s season was over, Alexander took over primary ball handling duties and couldn’t have done better. Creighton was playing their best basketball of the season entering the NCAA Tournament, which included getting all the way to the 2022 Big East Tournament Title game, in which Creighton narrowly lost to the same Villanova team that made the Final 4. In addition, Creighton beat the same San Diego State program that just made it to the National Title game in the Round of 64, while almost beating the same Kansas team that ended up winning the National Title in the Round of 32.
Alexander was also able to improve his game in many ways this past season, rising his three point field goal percentage from 28.1% as a Freshman to 41% as a Sophomore. The ability to shoot the basketball will pave the way for Alexander to have a long NBA career down the line. The Blue Jays Guard can easily play his way into the lottery while contributing for a stacked Creighton team, looking to get to their first Final 4 in program history.
Donovan Clingan – UConn
Playing in only 13.1 minutes per game last season behind Adama Sanogo, Clingan looked like he had the potential to be a future first round pick and one of the best players in the country, during his time on the floor in 2023. Coming off the bench for the 2023 National Champions, Clingan averaged 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during his small sample size on the court in 2023, and will be in for a breakout season in a much bigger role.
It is very difficult for a player to play in that little time on the floor and be projected to be drafted, but anyone who saw Clingan last season knows exactly why he falls into that category. UConn will lose a ton of production from the 2023 National Title team including 3 NBA Players in Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson. There is an argument to be made that Clingan will end up being the best professional out of the group, and the big man easily could have been a late first round pick had he entered the 2023 Draft.
Clingan will enter the 2023-2024 College Basketball season as one of the premier players in the country, and the sky’s the limit for just how good he would be. If Clingan comes anything close to his stats per minute averages in just a bigger sample size on the floor, UConn could have themselves the next face of the program and the first non-Freshman off the board in next season’s draft.
Riley Kugel – Florida
Todd Golden’s first season in Gainesville consisted mainly of disappointments, after entering the year with serious NCAA Tournament aspirations. Despite the fact that it ended in an opening round NIT loss, there was one bright spot in Riley Kugel. The Orlando native was only ranked as the #83 recruit in 247’s High School Class of 2022 rankings, but was the one constant for Florida this past season. Kugel averaged 9.9 points per game, while shooting 37.6% from three as a Freshman and should only get better as a Sophomore. Shooting that well as a Freshman is super impressive considering those numbers should get even better as a Sophomore, and Kugel should even be in for a much bigger role for the Gators, after only playing 23 minutes per game as a Freshman.
On a Florida team that featured plenty of players with prominent college experience like Kyle Lofton, Collin Castleton, Will Richard and others, it was Kugel who really impressed and broke out. This offseason, Todd Golden added a handful of other talented transfers to surround Kugel including the 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year in Tylor Perry from North Texas, the 2023 MAAC Player of the Year Walter Clayton Jr from Iona and more.
The pressure will be on Golden to win games and get Florida back to the NCAA Tournament, however having a player like Kugel returning to school could be the difference in order to get Florida Basketball back on top.
Zac Krull has covered College Basketball for the last 2 years while working with Aaron Torres of Aaron Torres Media and recording his own Zac Krull Sports Podcast. Currently, Zac is writing as a contributor for Aaron Torres online with weekly articles and working as a producer for the BETQL Network. Zac graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2021 with a degree in Sports Studies.