Louisville basketball: Predicting the futures of Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch

Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch have some serious decisions to make prior to the NBA draft deadline. So, what will their decisions ultimately be, and how does that effect Louisville basketball?

June 10th is the deadline for those entered in the NBA draft to withdraw their names, and for Louisville basketball’s Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch, time is of the essence with just over two weeks left to make a decision.

Nwora, a rising Junior and Enoch, a would-be redshirt Senior, both had breakout seasons in 2018-19 for the Cards. However, the latter Cardinal made a somewhat surprising decision to enter his name into the draft.

Steven Enoch

Enoch entered the draft with an NBA ready body, but still, a lot left to prove as far as the growth of his game.

Coming into his Redshirt Junior season, he was a virtual unknown. He played two forgettable seasons at UConn, but many thought that he had the tools to one day make an NBA roster.

At 6’10,” 250-pounds, Enoch looks the part, and his game began to follow suit in year one under Mack. He can be a back-to-the-basket big who can finish with ease at the rim. He also has a pure stroke from mid-range and behind the arc. Those intangibles alone set him apart from the vast majority of bigs trying to make it to the league today.

Enoch has a lot of flaws in his game, however. He often seems lost on defense, especially away from the ball and against some of the elite big men in the ACC. He also tends to look out of place on offense, floating out towards the perimeter and looking more relaxed playing like a stretch four than a physically imposing big.

That’s why Enoch has received no love entering the 2019 NBA draft. In addition to having some areas of improvement, Enoch is already 21 years old, and scouts know that big men prospects have a shorter shelf life than most.

If he was closer to a finished product, Enoch would be a sure-fire second rounder or would get scooped up on the free agency market. It is looking, though, like Enoch’s best option may be going overseas if he should choose to forgo his Redshirt Senior season.

Maybe Enoch will realize that time is not on his side and prefer to go overseas and get paid. It seems more like that he is testing the waters to see where he needs to improve and how he stacks up with the country’s elite players.

I’d look for Enoch to either sign a contract for a pro team somewhere outside of the NBA, or for him to return for his final season with the Cards.

Chance of staying in the draft: 10%

Jordan Nwora

For Nwora, it was no shock to those around the program that he wanted to test the NBA draft waters. After all, he was the ACC most-improved player of the year and was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Cards in year one of the Chris Mack era.

After seeing limited playing time during his Freshman season under David Padgett, Nwora quickly got things going in the right direction during his Sophomore campaign. His shooting touch from outside was a known asset, and he improved in that area even more so this past year, but his awareness without the ball in his hands, his driving and finishing ability around the basket, and his defensive rebounding were all commodities that most Cards fans did not expect to see from the budding star.

Nwora certainly has a lot to improve upon as well. He is turnover prone, can be lackadaisical on defense at times, and lacks an NBA-ready body. However, it’s hard to peg one area that Nwora could benefit more by returning to school rather than heading to the league.

At this point, it seems that Nwora is what he is. He has become an elite-level spot-up shooter, above average rebounder, and a tremendous scorer in the lane. Nwora projects as a role player in the league, and that is going to remain the same whether he stays in college or goes to the NBA.

Mock draft projections

NBAdraft.net: Rd. 1, pick 28 (Golden State)

NBAdraft.net consensus: Rd. 2, pick 36 (Charlotte)

Draftsite.com: Undrafted

Mock Draft Central: Undrafted

cbssports.com: Undrafted

Sports Illustrated: Round 2, pick 32 (Cleveland)

As you can see, Nwora’s projections are all over the board. Some sites have him in or near the first round of the draft, while others have him completely off the board. This can make his decision hard to peg.

However, Nwora is already two years removed from high school, while the majority of players projected in the first and early second rounds are freshmen. In this day and age, the more you age, the less teams value you.

Furthermore, it’s hard to see Nwora helping his draft stock enough to jump further into the first round in 2020. Nwora figures to be looking for some sort of guarantee that he will end up on a solid team in the first round. If not, maybe the Cards could have a small chance to get him back for his Junior year. At this point though, it seems unlikely that he ever wears red and black again.

Chance of staying in the draft: 80%