Lucas Gebhart
Sports Editor
Star ISU point guard, Ethan Telfair, has declared for the NBA draft, but has not hired an agent. Under new eligibility rules, Telfair can remove his name from the draft 10 days after the final day of the NBA combine in Chicago. That means Telfair has until May 25 to officially decide whether or not he will enter the draft.
Telfair said in a press conference April 21, that if he is projected to be a second round pick, he will return to ISU for his senior season to improve his draft stock.
“If they are saying second round because I only have one year of division one experience, then with two years of division one experience I might be first round. I am not going because I want to say I got drafted. I actually want to play in the NBA.”
“Ethan just wants to see, basically, what people in the NBA think of him,” head coach Bill Evans said. “The best way to do that is to go to an evaluation camp. There’s three guys from Washington State that are doing what Ethan is doing with, I think, the intentions of probably returning if they are not projected to be drafted in the first or second round.”
If Telfair believes he has gained the interest of some NBA teams, the next step will be for him to find an agent.
Until Telfair finds an agent, he will most likely return to Pocatello. Telfair will most likely not attend the NBA combine, if he does, then the probability of him being drafted is more realistic.
“I believe in myself, I believe in my abilities,” Telfair said. “They changed the rules, so you can test the waters. I come from an NBA background, so that is my ultimate goal, to play in the NBA. So why not?”
It is a win-win situation for Telfair to declare for the draft. If he gains enough attention and traction to be a first-round pick, then he will have fulfilled his dream of being an NBA player. If he pulls out of the draft before the May 25 deadline, he will have still gained the experience of the NBA draft process, played against world-class players and received feedback on his true abilities. NBA scouts and coaches will not lie, they will tell what they see in Telfair’s ability and they will tell him where is weaknesses are.
“If someone seems like they like me, that doesn’t mean they are going to draft me,” Telfair explained. “If someone says they like me, then I will get even more confidence than I already have. If nobody likes me, that is more motivation coming into my senior season. I really want to get a feel for this NBA process, get a feel what the requirements are of being an elite guard and what the demands are of these workouts that I am going to try to get into.”
Telfair’s older brother, Sebastian Telfair, and older cousin, Stephon Marbury, both played in the NBA for a number of years. But Telfair’s journey to the NBA is much different than his brothers’.
“The rules are a lot different,” Telfair explained. “It used to be once you put your name in, you’re in and you don’t have the opportunity to come back to school.”
Sebastian was also projected to be a top pick coming out of high school, another difference. It is now required that players play at least one season outside of high school, whether that be in college or overseas.
“I am still working, trying to climb the charts and show the country I am one of the better point guards.”
When Telfair told his older brother of the idea, Sebastian had two words for his younger brother – be ready.
“I am coming with a name,” Telfair said. “I want to make sure I carry myself the right way.” Other advice Telfair received from his brother, was to “carry yourself like a pro, speak like a pro, and everybody around you has to think ‘yeah, that kid is a pro.”’
As of right now, Telfair is still training and working with his teammates, but he is planning on going down to Arizona to work out with his trainer.
“Probably be there a week, two weeks, just going as hard as we can,” Telfair said.
For Coach Evans, this is the first time he has ever had a player declare for the draft, but he says he was not surprised when Telfair approached him with the idea.
“I am in support of anything my players can do to help them in their lives,” Evans said. “This was something that was important to him, so I want to support him.”
It is not uncommon for NBA players and stars to come from the Big Sky, the most notable is Weber State alum, Damian Lillard, who was the 6th overall pick in the draft by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012. Lillard is averaging over 25 PPG in 2016 and has his team in the NBA playoffs for the third straight season.
Telfair is an undersized point guard, but to that, he will just tell you to look at Boston’s 5-9 point guard Isaiah Thomas, who averaged 22.8 PPG in the 2016 regular season and has his team in the playoffs for the second season in a row.
Telfair currently does not have any workout scheduled with NBA teams, which is something to come later in the process.
