Gonzaga freshman guard Jalen Suggs — the third-rated player in ESPN’s Top 100 prospects — is entering the 2021 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Monday.
Suggs made the announcement Monday afternoon on The Jump from his Minneapolis home.
Suggs, a 6-foot-4 point guard, led Gonzaga to a sensational season as the Bulldogs went undefeated until losing to Baylor in the national championship game. Suggs had a historic performance in an overtime Final Four victory over UCLA, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
Suggs, 19, is considered a franchise-leading point guard and expected to be among the top three picks in the June NBA draft along with Oklahoma State forward Cade Cunningham and USC center Evan Mobley.
Suggs averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals for Gonzaga in less than 30 minutes a game. He was voted a consensus second-team All-American.
ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz describes Suggs as a “powerful athlete” with “great body control,” and a “downhill driver who can change speeds … active cutter who can play on or off the ball” and a “mature decision-maker … poised pick and roll passer who uses both sides of the floor.”