Deng Adel withdraws from 2017 NBA Draft

The NBA has confirmed that 73 players have withdrawn from the 2017 NBA Draft, with Aussie swingman Deng Adel being one of them.

Adel, who was previously projected at the 50th spot in DraftExpress' 2018 Mock Draft, declared his interest for the 2017 NBA Draft in late March without agent representation.

According to Louisville head coach Rick Pitino (via Wave 3 News), Adel had understood where he needed to improve on, following feedback from NBA scouts.

"You've got to make your defense just as strong as your offense to be a lottery pick and he's gonna go to work on that, so he's really, really motivated and he's coming back for all the right reasons, he's coming back for the team," Pitino said. "He's coming back to be a special draft choice and we're excited because I intend on playing him a lot at the two-guard spot. We think we will have great length."

In a report from the Courier-Journal, Pitino had confirmed that NBA scouts were impressed with Adel's potential. "Everybody was impressed with his length, everybody was impressed with his athleticism," Pitino said. "He has all the components to be a very good professional basketball player. Now he just has to work on a few skills."

Following his withdrawal from the upcoming draft, the 6'7" swingman will very likely return to Louisville for his junior season. Adel averaged 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his 2016/17 season with Louisville, and will likely be a leading scorer for the team in the new season ahead.

Players withdrawing from NBA Draft 2017

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