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Mock Draft Roundup: Latest NBA Projections For Anunoby, Bryant, Others

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Since the latest roundup, former IU forward OG Anunoby and sophomore center Thomas Bryant opted to sign with an agent and keep their names in consideration from this summer's NBA Draft, forgoing their final two years of collegiate eligibility.

Meanwhile, Indiana's other two early entrants - junior guards James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson - declared without hiring representation and still have yet to do so. Those two will have until May 24 to decide whether to keep their name in consideration for the NBA Draft or return to school.

Here's where each of the four Hoosiers' pro prospects stand according to various draft analysts and experts:

OG Anunoby

DraftExpress (May 4): No. 14 overall prospect in Top 100, projected to be chosen in the first round (No. 13 overall) by the Denver Nuggets. The draft outlook still marks the highest spot for Anunoby since being projected as the No. 9 overall pick in January prior to his knee injury. It's the second-consecutive mock where DraftExpress has projected Anunoby to go 13th. Over the last three mocks, the outlet has projected him as a top 16 pick.

ESPN's Chad Ford (April 18) ($): Has Anunoby ranked 13th in his Top 100 NBA Draft prospect rankings, projected to be chosen in the first round (No. 13 overall) by the Denver Nuggets. Ford ranked Anunoby two spots higher in his latest big board compared to the previous one.

NBADraft.net (May 3): Has Anunoby getting selected in the first round (No. 28 overall) by the Los Angeles Lakers. Analyst Aran Smith slots Anunoby at No. 44 on his Top 100 prospects big board, but that hasn't been updated since April 5.

Analysis: All three experts now project Anunoby to be a first-round pick after NBADraft.net excluded him from the field of 60 selections last month. Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury early in Big Ten play, Anunoby's potential and talent still warrant a top-30 selection in the eyes of each outlet.

It will be interesting to see how these projections change after next week's NBA Draft Combine which Anunoby got an invitation to. At the combine, NBA teams will be able to record Anunoby's measurements, conduct interviews with him and have him undergo medical examinations, allowing them to gain a better understanding of what his rehabiliation timeline looks like heading into his rookie season.

Thomas Bryant

DraftExpress (May 4): No. 36 overall prospect in Top 100, projected to be chosen in the second round (No. 33 overall) by the Orlando Magic. The current draft outlook is nine spots higher than his previous projection. DraftExpress' mock history of Bryant suggests the Rochester, New York, native's stock is trending toward an early second-round pick.

ESPN's Chad Ford (April 18) ($): Has Bryant ranked 45th in his Top 100 NBA Draft prospect rankings, 12 spots higher than his previous position. Ford's latest mock draft only covers the first round, but he still expects Bryant to be a second round pick or go undrafted according to his rankings.

NBADraft.net (May 3): Does not include Bryant among the 60 players expected to be drafted this summer. Smith has Bryant 84th in his latest Top 100 rankings, but, again, those rankings haven't been updated in a month.

Analysis: The majority of the latest projections indicate Bryant is trending closer to an early- to mid-second round pick after the majority of analysts pegged him as a late-second round choice last month.

Bryant also got invited to next week's NBA Draft Combine and will play in the 5-on-5 event there. Last year, the live scrimmage portion of the combine include many players projected as second-round selections, offering them a chance to boost their stock prior to the draft. It will also be worth watching the projections after next week's combine to see if the 5-on-5 participation hurts or helps Bryant's stock.

James Blackmon Jr. 

DraftExpress (May 4): Unranked in the Top 100 and expected to go undrafted. The outlet slots him as the No. 26 junior in its Top 60 rankings for that class and the No. 15 Big Ten prospect out of 44 players ranked from the conference. Both rankings have remained unchanged since March 19.

ESPN's Chad Ford (April 18) ($): Doesn't include Blackmon in his latest Top 100 NBA Draft prospect rankings.

NBADraft.net (May 3): Does not include Blackmon among the 60 players expected to be drafted this summer. Blackmon is also excluded from Smith's latest Top 100 rankings. The outlet slots Blackmon as the No. 31 junior in its Top 50 rankings for that class.

Analysis: There's still a clear consensus among experts and analysts that Blackmon won't get drafted if he keeps his name in. He's testing the NBA Draft waters and still hasn't signed with an agent, leaving the door open for a possible return to IU.

Blackmon has until May 24 to decide whether to keep his name in consideration for the draft or return to school. Would coming back and using his final year of eligibility at Indiana benefit him? It's difficult to tell. NBA teams tend to draft younger players - read: freshman - in the first round, hoping their potential peaks with the franchise. However, he's also still not expected to get drafted in 2018 if he chose to return to school, so now might be the best time for him to turn pro.

Robert Johnson

DraftExpress (May 4): Unranked in the Top 100 and expected to go undrafted. The outlet slots him as the No. 47 junior in its Top 60 rankings for that class and the No. 30 Big Ten prospect out of 44 players ranked from the conference.

ESPN's Chad Ford (April 18) ($): Doesn't include Johnson in his latest Top 100 NBA Draft prospect rankings.

NBADraft.net (May 3): Does not include Johnson among the 60 players expected to be drafted this summer. Blackmon is also excluded from Smith's latest Top 100 rankings and the outlet's ranking of the Top 50 juniors.

Analysis: There's no harm in Johnson going through the pre-draft process and getting feedback on his game from NBA personnel. However, like Blackmon, there's still a clear consensus among experts and analysts that he won't get drafted if he keeps his name in. Johnson still hasn't signed with an agent, leaving the door open for a possible return to IU.

Johnson has until May 24 to decide whether to keep his name in consideration for the draft or return to school. At this point, it would make sense for him to get as much feedback as possible leading up to the deadline and then return to Indiana for his senior season.

Related NBA Draft coverage:

April 7 Mock Draft Roundup (Anunoby, Blackmon and Bryant)

Thomas Bryant Sits Down With Draft Express For Video Interview

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