3 players without an agent to watch at the 2017 NBA Draft Combine

By Max Holm | May 4, 2017

Mar 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots against Michigan Wolverines forward Moritz Wagner (13) during the second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Joseph-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 16, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Hamidou Diallo during practice the day before the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Hamidou Diallo

Where Mitchell is the proven college player, Hamidou Diallo is an unknown. He also represents what could be a new trend in basketball.

Diallo is in the high school class of 2017, but enrolled early at Kentucky this spring. After graduating last year, he’s technically eligible for the NBA Draft. Due to his athleticism, Diallo could theoretically make it to the NBA without playing in college or overseas.

Heading into the combine, Diallo projects to go 33rd by Draft Express and 27th by Tankathon. This move could create quite the ripple effect for years to come, but Diallo isn’t guaranteed to be a first-round pick.

According to Draft Express, Diallo is an insanely athletic player with tremendous defensive potential. He’s also still a work in progress offensively. Last year he averaged 18.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting an abysmal 17.6 percent from three.

Being asked to play 5-on-5 is probably a good thing for Diallo. Should he opt to go back to Kentucky though, he’ll only be able to test the NBA waters one more time and be allowed to return to school. As he turns 19 soon, making him an old freshman like Josh Jackson, age possibly played a role in his decision to declare.