Should we stay or should we go?

Two and a half days until Etwaun Moore and Jajuan Johnson have to decide to hire an agent for the NBA draft or withdraw from the draft and return to Purdue for their senior season. It’s been a long wait for Purdue fans everywhere. I’m so anxious I put a countdown on my blog a while back. Below are my honest thoughts on both players. I may be a little bias though

Etwaun Moore:
He is damn good. He has been Purdue’s leading scorer since time he arrived at Purdue. I think he is sometimes overlooked because of Johnson and Hummel. He quietly scores 18 points a game and dishes out 3-5 assists and a couple rebounds. I think he is good enough to go to the NBA right now but I don’t think he will. He has pretty much admitted that he is testing the draft to prepare him for the future but plans to return for his senior year. I give Etwaun a 90% chance of returning.

Jajuan Johnson:
This guy has gotten better by leaps and bounds each year at Purdue. I think the main reason he gets as much attention as he does and the main reason he is leaning towards the draft is because of his potential. He gets better and better each year. I think the NBA scouts see this. The issue with him is his size though. He is 6’10” but a very skinny 6’10”. In the NBA he will not be able to play in the paint like college. He will be dominated by guys weighing 50-60 more pounds than him. He has a GREAT mid range shot and is developing his long range shooting. Even outside of the paint in the NBA he would have to face guys his height or taller that had 30 pounds on him. I think he is leaning towards the NBA and wants to go to the NBA because of the talk of reduced contracts for rookies next year and seeing what happened to his teammate Robbie Hummel last year. Why not get in when money is better? If he was projected to be a first round pick I would consider him gone. He is projected to go somewhere is the second round which makes the decision a little more difficult. I give him a 45% chance of returning.

The good news if Johnson goes is that we do have a sophomore, a red shirt freshman and a true freshman that should be ready to come in and make an impact down low. They will not replace Johnson but they are good. Some other good news if he leaves is that it will open up a scholarship for Donnie Hale. Hale is forward who scored 1,236 points in high school and led New Albany to a 90-9 record and three sectional titles. He averaged 18 points and eight rebounds as a senior. He signed with Purdue and is even willing to go to prep school for a year if a scholarship doesn’t open up. That is a great commitment from a guy that could go to many other schools.