The NBA’s early-entry deadline for the 2021 draft elapsed Sunday night, providing the first official shred of clarity on which players will return to play college basketball next season. There are still a range of players with fascinating stay-or-go decisions to make in the coming weeks that will change the landscape one way or another. But with one eye toward 2022, it’s an opportune moment to highlight some of the top returning college prospects, many of whom have already built some buzz on the NBA side.
Potential 2021 lottery picks James Bouknight, Kai Jones and Franz Wagner were among the prospects highlighted in last year’s version of this column.