Dawn of the Dawg
Fansided

Georgia Basketball: Yante Maten going pro?

By Alistair Penny

Feb 25, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (middle) sits on the bench against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. UGA defeated LSU 82-80. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (middle) sits on the bench against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. UGA defeated LSU 82-80. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Georgia Basketball star Yante Maten announced that he is entering the NBA draft this June.

Related Story: Who could UGA recruit for 2018?

Having lost JJ Fraizer after his senior season, Georgia Basketball could be losing it’s other star player for next season. Yante Maten, the All SEC Power forward announced yesterday that he is entering the NBA draft. He is however, not signing an agent. This puts Georgia in an interesting spot because it means that he can choose to return to Athens if he is not drafted.

Despite missing 5 games towards the end of last season with a knee injury, Maten had a strong 2016/17. He was named first team All-SEC after scoring 18.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. With Fraizer now gone, he is indisputable UGA’s best player going into next year, should he still be in Athens.

That’s the reason that this is not a particularly surprising decision. By declaring, he is giving NBA teams the chance to sign him. If they do, he can leave school and make pretty decent money, even if he ends up in the D-league. If they don’t he can still go into his junior year at UGA and hope that a big season could push him further up draft boards for 2018.

Next: NFL Stars you didn't now lost to UGA

What’s going to happen with Yante? We can’t know until June but he’s likely made the right decision. 2017’s NBA draft class is expected to be very strong, with a strong freshman class going pro. Nobody quite knows what next years one will look like, but if its weaker and Maten has a good season, his chance of getting drafted should increase and a well deserved pro career could finally begin.

Home/Georgia Bulldogs News