Who made the wrong early entry decision?: Hollis Thompson should withdraw from the draft

Hollis Thompson's decision to enter the 2011 NBA Draft was a bit of a surprise to all involved.

And its only partly because the 6'7" sophomore averaged just 8.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg this past season.

Thompson is a talented player. He's a small forward with NBA length and athleticism. He is a very good shooter from the perimeter and has shown flashes of being able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. The problem? Thompson has never had the opportunity to showcase his ability on the offensive end of the floor.

This past season, Thompson spent the first half of the year starting at the four with Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Jason Clark logging the majority of the perimeter minutes. Midway through the year, Nate Lubick slid into the starting lineup and Thompson became Georgetown head coach John Thompson III's hired gun off the bench.


There were reports that Thompson was unhappy with that role, which is why he declared for the draft and considered transferring out of Georgetown.

That makes absolutely no sense.

You see, Freeman and Wright both graduate this spring, as does starting center Julian Vaughn. With Vee Sanford transferring out of the program, that means that Thompson, along with Clark, will be the featured scorer in JT III's offensive next season, likely taking over Freeman's role as resident long-range assassin. And with Nate Lubick, Henry Sims, and Jerelle Benimon returning up front -- and a loaded group of freshmen bigs, headlined by top-30 recruit Otto Porter -- back court minutes will readily available.

Thompson showed flashes of being an all-Big East caliber player last year. He had 18 points and nine boards in a win over NC State. He went for 16 points and seven boards against St. John's. And he average 16.0 ppg on 17-26 shooting in the Hoyas final three games, including a 26 point, seven rebound outburst in Georgetown's loss to VCU in the first round of the tournament.

Thompson has a chance to show the country -- and the NBA GM's -- just how good he can be next season.

He should withdraw from the NBA Draft.

Who else made the wrong early entry decision?

• Ashton Gibbs, Pitt: Entered the draft, no agent
  
  There are conflicting reports about what Gibbs is planning to do, likely the result of Gibbs and his family having conflicting emotions about the decision. Its obvious that Gibbs wants to -- or is, at the least, trying to convince agents and GM's that he wants to -- become a pro. But the bottom line is that he just isn't an NBA player right now. He's a 6'1" shooter that is a step slow and can't jump all that high. But he is a great college player, and having the chance to prove he can create off the dribble should help his standing as a draft prospect.


• Malcolm Lee, UCLA: Entered the draft, signed agent
  
  Lee seems like he was just done being a college student. That is the only explanation for a player that has a chance of going undrafted to remain in the draft. Lee showed some flashes of being a productive scorer this season and he is a terrific defender, but he averaged just 2.0 apg this season and shot 29.5% from beyond the arc. The physical talent is there, but another season in Westwood -- playing for a team that would likely have been the cream of the Pac-10 crop with him -- to develop his all-around offensive game would have helped his stock.


• Jereme Richmond, Illinois: Entered the draft, signed agent
  
  Richmond may not have had much of a choice in this situation. Assuming he did, he probably could have used another season of seasoning. Its certainly not an issue of potential. He's an athletic, 6'8" combo forward that can do a lot of different things on a basketball court. He's got the makings of being a terrific all-around player one day. This issue is that some of his off-the-court problems make it seem like he may not ever live up to that potential. He missed a few practices and a game in the middle of the season and was suspended at the end of the season by Bruce Weber. He needs another season to develop as an adult and a professional, not necessarily as a basketball player.


• Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt: Returned to school
  
  I don't generally like to criticize a player for staying in school. Taylor is going to earn his degree and get a chance to play with guys like Fetsus Ezeli and John Jenkins for another season on a top ten team. That said, Taylor would have been somewhere in the late lottery or mid-first round of this draft. In a loaded 2012 draft, he'll likely go late in the first round. He may drop even more if he doesn't show improvement in his perimeter skill set.