Kentucky sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley has declared for the 2020 NBA Draft and will forgo his remaining two seasons of college eligibility, he said in a statement to 247Sports. Quickley is the third Wildcats player this offseason to jump to the next level. He is expected to sign with an agent and will not return despite the NCAA rule that would allow him to test the draft process and come back if he did not get the feedback he desires.
Quickley was among college basketball's biggest breakout stories this past season, earning SEC Player of the Year honors a season removed from serving as a sixth-man for Kentucky. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season and shot 42.8% from the 3-point line -- up from the 34.5% he shot as a freshman.
He also improved his draft stock substantially by growing into a lockdown perimeter defender and shooting a high rate from 3 -point range on good volume. He ranks No. 41 on the CBS Sports Big Board and eighth among players at his position. With a 6-foot-3 frame and long, wiry arms, teams may prioritize his skill set early in the second round as his shooting and defense projects well as a potential role player in the NBA.
Quickley's NBA leap again makes for an offseason rebuilding project for Kentucky coach John Calipari, who is now set to lose his entire backcourt after Ashton Hagans and Tyrese Maxey already declared for the draft. Calipari has the goods to do it though with the No. 1 incoming recruiting class led by five-star guards Devin Askew, Terrence Clarke and Brandon Boston.
