Xavier forward Naji Marshall has declared for NBA draft, per sources

First, the news:

To be honest, I'm more surprised about the keeping his options open part than the declaring part. Naji posted on Instagram (and almost immediately deleted) that Senior Night was his last home game in a Xavier uniform, and he has been showing up in the bottom of some mock drafts.

Naji led Xavier in scoring and assists last year and was second in rebounding with a game line of 16.6/6.3/4.0. That's obviously a really good line to post in the Big East, but Naji's value was dragged down by a .445/.286/.710 shooting line and a 20.4% TO rate.

Naji's length and athleticism have obvious appeal at the next level, and if his skill set can be refined a bit, he'll be a fine professional player. He's right to do his due diligence regarding his draft prospects, and Europe may be calling his name if the NBA doesn't. He has left open the option to return, but it's not hard to read the tea leaves and see the probability that he is going to be getting paid next year.