Louisville Basketball: Deng Adel makes it official; will remain in 2018 NBA Draft

Louisville basketball stars Ray Spalding and Deng Adel declared for the NBA Draft a few weeks back. Both are now officially hiring agents and forgoing their senior seasons.

Louisville basketball’s Deng Adel is officially not returning to the Louisville basketball program for his senior season, according to Yahoo reporter Shams Charania.

Adel decided to test the NBA waters last season after his sophomore year, working out for several teams, before deciding to come back for his junior season to work on the input he received from scouts and GM’s.

The junior forward announced his intentions to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft after Louisville’s loss to Mississippi State in the NIT, but this year, Adel decided he didn’t need input from NBA personnel before making a decision. Instead he closed the door on coming back for his senior season rather quickly.

No Louisville player had a more up and down season then Adel in 2017-18. Though he finished as the leader in scoring and minutes played, and second in rebounding for the Cards, Adel’s questionable shot selection/decision making, and high quantity of turnovers was a huge reason Louisville faltered down the stretch of many games. (I.e, Virginia)

When making the decision to come back for his junior season, Adel expected he would do so under the tutelage of Rick Pitino, who was a big part in helping potential ROY Donovan Mitchell take a huge leap from his freshman to sophomore season.

Unfortunately for Deng, and the rest of the Louisville basketball team, an FBI Investigation lead to the dismissal of Rick Pitino, resulting in David Padgett getting the chance to coach a talented and potential top 15 team for the first time in his career. Padgett and his staff (which was made up of several coaching veterans) never seemed to be able to help the teams top talent take the next step in their game. No one seemed to be hurt from that than Deng Adel.

Deng Adel was clearly the go-to guy for David Padgett and the Cardinals, which was to be expected for the talented, returning junior. Unfortunately there were too many times when Padgett was slow to pull Adel out of the game after a string of bad shots, or getting lost on defense, which resulted in struggles for Louisville.

There were glimpses of a different Deng Adel this season however, one who looked the part of a potential NBA wing. Whether it was the 27 point performance against Virginia Tech, the near triple double (10,9,8) in the rematch with Tech, or the 20 and 8 he put up in the team’s first ACC tournament win since joining the conference, against Florida State, Adel showed the ability to play at a high mark.

As of right now it’s very unlikely that Deng Adel, 22, will end up on an NBA roster next season, but not impossible by any means. Not one draft board has him listed as draftable player, and the scouting reports tend to be more negative than positive. His poor handling, inconsistent shooting, and defensive struggles, which Louisville fans saw on full display this past season, are things that will certainly need to improve at the next level.

Scouting report from NBA Scouting Live:

"“Deng Adel is an athletic swingman that can shoot and score the basketball. He has not received much draft buzz, and he will likely need to polish up his overall game, as he can be too inconsistent when he is on the floor. “"

There are several things to love about the junior forward however. Adel does have great size at 6’7 for an NBA wing, and is capable of playing several positions at the next level, and always was considered to be a beloved teammate. Though he struggled at times to shoot consistently, we occasionally saw flashes of scoring that make him a potential three level scoring threat (inside, mid range, three pointer) at the next level.

With the NBA G-League continuing to be a source of talent development for the NBA, and the creation of the new two-way contract, there absolutely is a chance for Adel to catch on to an NBA roster next season. Former Cards Damion Lee, and Jaylen Johnson have both spent time in the G-League, and have gotten the chance to compete on NBA roster because of it.

However, the more likely route for Adel, is to pursue a career overseas in one of Europe’s best leagues. Former Cardinal greats like Trey Lewis, Peyton Siva, Larry O’Bannon, and plenty of other have had extremely successful careers, while earning a lot of money.

No one can blame the junior forward for making the decision to pursue a career in the sport he loves, and has dedicated his life to. Congratulations on a great career at Louisville, and good luck to you in your pursuit of the NBA Deng Adel!

Next: Terry Rozier's time is now

Sophomore Jordan Nwora and junior V.J. King will be forced to carry the scoring load for Louisville next season, with the team’s leading three leading scorers headed off to pursue professional careers.