Myles Turner Leaves Texas For NBA; Georges Niang Remains At Iowa State

Monday provided some insight as to what two of the biggest names in Big 12 basketball had in store for next season. Myles Turner, the coveted freshman big man from Texas made his announcement to enter the 2015 NBA Draft by way of a YouTube video reflecting on his time as a Longhorn.

Thank you #longhornnation it's been real!
https://t.co/s9ltQhtXvv #hookemforever
— Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) March 30, 2015

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On the other hand, one of the Big 12’s absolute best, Iowa State’s junior forward Georges Niang chose the path less traveled and decided to return for his senior season and help provide some more Hilton Magic to Cyclones and their ravenous fan base. Niang had this to say on his decision to forgo the NBA Draft and return for one final run in college, via ESPN’s Jeff Goodman:

“I was weighing it, but I want to be loyal to the program and didn’t want to go out this way,” Niang said. “I didn’t want to leave my mark like that.”

These two announcements serve as a perfect example of the world of college basketball that we currently live in. In Turner, you have a high-upside prospect who revealed some glimpses of how special he can be throughout the season, but was never able to quite put it together consistently and certainly looked like another year at the collegiate level would be a great benefit.

Rather, NBA GMs salivate profusely off the thought of adding a near 7-footer with a shooting touch and elite rim protection, therefor, Turner becomes yet another one-and-done that many, including myself will argue that wasn’t quite ready to make the jump for the pros.

This isn’t to say Turner is going to have any problem finding his way in the league; he’s simply too talented to allow that to happen outside of consistently finding himself in systems that just don’t fit his abilities, which we see all too often in the NBA today. Turner is a tremendous talent that provides something unlike the other glorified big men in his class.

He’s not the bulky, bang down low kind of post presence. Turner has range out to the three-point line, where he connected on .274 percent of his looks at Texas, while his mid-range and low-block jumpers are what has paired with his defensive prowess (2.6 blocks per game) are what make Turner so desirable for many NBA teams, via DraftExpress:

"While Turner’s lack of offensive diversity and his willingness to settle for outside jump shots is a concern going forward, the combination of a big man who can space the floor from the perimeter while also being a strong rebounder on the defensive glass and a rim protector inside the paint is incredibly rare, and, in today’s NBA where spacing is king, also incredibly valuable. As long as his body can hold up (somewhat of a concern due to his physical makeup), he shouldn’t have too much of a problem finding some type of a niche in the NBA."

Regardless of the holes in his game, Turner’s name wont be one that sits on the board very long. Draft Express has Turner slotted at No. 12 in their latest mock draft, while Turner hovers around the No. 10 in the majority of other mock drafts.

As for Niang, who college basketball fans abroad will be fortunate enough to have around for another season, it’s safe to expect a monster year from Fred Hoiberg’s prized possession heading into his final stint in Ames. As a junior, Niang was able to average 15.3 points on .461 percent shooting, snag 5.4 boards per game and dish out 3.4 assists.

Niang put up solid numbers across the board and had made a case for himself as a mid-to-late second round draft pick should he have decided to follow that path. You can credit Iowa State’s 60-59 second round loss to UAB in the NCAA tournament for aiding in Niang’s decision to remain a Cyclone.

Is it too early to proclaim Iowa State as your 2015-16 Big 12 champions?

Next: Battle For The Top Pick

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