Kentucky guard and former five-star prospect Hamidou Diallo announced Sunday that he is declaring for the NBA Draft without hiring an agent -- a development that could leave the Wildcats even more inexperienced than most have projected.
"I want to see where my game is and explore my options," Diallo said via Twitter. "I just want to keep all doors open."
Diallo is eligible for the 2017 NBA Draft -- even though he has never played a game in college -- because he graduated from high school in May 2016. The 6-foot-5 guard enrolled at Kentucky in January and practiced with the team but never played. He was a consensus top-10 prospect in the Class of 2017 before enrolling at UK.
"He'd be a first-round pick if he stays in [the draft]," an NBA scout told CBS Sports on Sunday.
Diallo is the sixth Kentucky player to declare for the NBA Draft. Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox, Isaiah Briscoe and Isaac Humphries have already announced they are hiring an agent and eliminating the possibility of returning to school. Bam Adebayo and Diallo have not yet retained representation. Consequently they have until May 24 to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Kentucky.
