NC State junior point guard Markell Johnson has embarked on finding out where he stands for the 2019 NBA Draft.
Johnson has entered his name in for the NBA Draft, and will have to make a final decision May 29. He does have the option of using an agent to guide him along the process while getting an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder flashed his potential at various points this season, en route to averaging 12.6 points and 4.2 assists per game, and he shot a career-high 42.2 percent from three-point land.
"I fully support Markell going through this evaluation process and gathering additional information," NCSU head coach Kevin Keatts said. "Given the rules and options available to him, Markell is taking advantage of resources to ultimately make the most informed decision."
NC State senior point guard signee Jalen Lecque of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy is also seeing the chance to explore his NBA Draft options. Rivals.com ranks the athletic Lecque at No. 36 overall in the class of 2019, but his athleticism and down the road potential has intrigued pro teams.
NBADraft.net has Lecque slotted for the No. 41 overall pick, but Johnson is not among the 60 selections.
Johnson often performed his best under the “bright lights” when the Wolfpack had big games. he had 27 points and went 5 of 8 from three-point land in the 78-71 win over Auburn on Dec. 19. The Tigers ended up reaching the Final Four.
Johnson also had strong NIT stretch to enter his offseason with momentum. He averaged 19.3 points and five assists per game and shot 9 of 17 from three-point land during the three-game NIT stretch.
NC State has a long history of players entering the NBA Draft. Cedric Simmons (2006), J.J. Hickson (2008), T.J. Warren (2014) and Dennis Smith (2017) all entered the NBA Draft early and were first round picks since 2005. Lorenzo Brown went in the second round.
Former NCSU players Brandon Costner, C.J. Leslie, Trevor Lacey, Anthony Barber, Maverick Rowan and Ted Kapita all left with eligibility remaining, but went undrafted.
The Wolfpack have also had Abdul-Malik Abu, BeeJay Anya and Torin Dorn test the waters and return to college.
If both Johnson and Lecque remain in the NBA Draft, the Wolfpack return juniors Braxton Beverly and Blake Harris to play point guard, and senior commit Dereon Seabron of Woodstock (Va.) Massanutten Military Academy also has a point guard background at around 6-5.
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