Stanford junior guard Jeremy Green has decided to keep his name in the 2011 NBA Draft pool and forego his senior season of eligibility. Green had until Sunday to withdraw his name fro eligibility, but elected to continue forward towards the draft. Chad Ford indicated Green was better off returning to school, although he could garner some late second round interest because of his shooting ability:
Green surprised people with his decision to declare for the draft. His shooting ability may spark some interest during the second round, but his lack of size and explosiveness limit his upside considerably. He’s probably better off returning to school.
In his recently completed junior season, Green averaged 16.7 points per game thanks in large part to 43% shooting from the three-line. He led the Cardinal in scoring and was an All-Pac-10 first team selection. In the workouts between now and the late-June draft, Green will need to show his shooting can make up for questions about his size.
At this point mock drafts don’t even have him projected in the second round. I’d imagine he’ll release some kind of statement but even that may not fully explain why he felt the need to go pro this year. Sometimes players leave school early because of family financial issues. One has to wonder if that is playing into this decision.