Jakob Poeltl Returning To Utah For Sophomore Season

Post #1 » by **RealGM Wiretap** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:58 pm

Jakob Poeltl announced he would return to Utah for his sophomore season.

"I really enjoy it here at the University of Utah," Poeltl said. "I love my teammates, coaches and college in general. I think another year will help my development and I'm looking forward to next season."

Poeltl, a semifinalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award, was also named to the Pac-12's All-Freshman Team after shooting 68 percent from the field (4th nationally) and ranking third in the league in blocked shots.

Poeltl was expected to be a first round pick if he were to declare for the NBA.

Via RealGM Staff Report

Raptorologist · Post #2 » by **Raptorologist** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 4:28 pm

How common is it for a player to return to college ball after being considered a first round pick? Why risk it? There could be injuries, or just a fall in your value overall. I would jump to the NBA at first chance.

Post #3 » by **Jeff Van Gully** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 4:43 pm

Raptorologist wrote:How common is it for a player to return to college ball after being considered a first round pick? Why risk it? There could be injuries, or just a fall in your value overall. I would jump to the NBA at first chance.

i agree that it generally makes sense to come out if you are pretty much sure to be a lottery pick. that's not quite the case for him.

he could use the seasoning as a player. it's a smart move because next year he'll probably go lottery. he'll also be less likely to wash out from the NBA during the rookie deal, which happens to far too many young players.

smart move for him, actually. players who aren't 1000000% sure shouldn't be coming out early just because they think they'll be first rounders. stranger things have happened than players dropping below what they thought. that's a bad draft day. because if you go second round and the team doesn't love you, you could be jobless and without an education. there are no guarantees in professional foreign leagues either.

Brovva Blaqq · Post #4 » by **Brovva Blaqq** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:49 pm

I think this was a mistake, he was going to get drafted in the first round anyways - plus he seems to be rather smart, so I doubt he would end up as Robert Swift 2.0.

Injury might happen though... No matter what, he will likely end up in Spain, China or another big non-US league if his production magically implodes next season.