TESTING THE WATERS: Georgetown’s Aminu Mohammed Declares for the 2022 NBA Draft

Aminu Mohammed of the Georgetown Hoyas will declare himself eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. The walking double-double, and excellent scholar athlete, would be massively missed by Hoyas fans if he were to follow through and not return. Still, anyone who watched Aminu this season understands that he always give 100% and fans should expect nothing less with him in this draft process.

There is currently no discussion of Aminu hiring an agent yet, so perhaps the chance that he will return to Georgetown may be tilted favorably. Seeking feedback on his game and exposing himself to NBA team leadership and coaches is hardly ever a bad idea.

The coaching staff can likely hope for his return all they want, but a promise to draft or sign Mohammed coming from a team known to develop talent (e.g., the San Antonio Spurs) might be tantalizing enough to make the leap from college. The 6-5 guard/wing will be turning 21 next December, and a move to the professional ranks won’t likely be delayed much more.

Still, from the perspective of this humble blog contributor (and certainly not as a lawyer or advisor), the NBA Draft is all about maximizing guaranteed money. Based on the 2022-2023 NBA Rookie Scale, the 15th pick will earn $6.2 million over the first two years while the 30th pick is only guaranteed $3.7 million over the same period. Second round picks aren’t guaranteed and the NBA rookie minimum is about $925k. Anything can happen when signing with the right team, but a healthy second year of college could be seen as an investment.

Putting together an electric sophomore year of game tape, as well as banking college credits towards a degree promised to one’s parents, might be a most sensible approach. All fans can do is trust the process and hope each player receives and appreciates good feedback from the right executives, coaches, and professionals.

A unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-freshman Team, Aminu averaged 13.8 points per game (12th BE), 8.1 rebounds per game (3rd BE) and 1.7 steals (5th BE) during the regular season and 13.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg in BIG EAST action. Mohammed’s 8.1 rebounds per game ranked 10th among all NCAA freshmen and first among conference freshmen.

The AP said that “Mohammed continues to intrigue scouts because of his strength, toughness and raw ability. He’s been a consistent scorer because of his ability to get to the rim, and he’s a relentless rebounder and defender.”

To return to college basketball, the NCAA typically requires withdrawal of a prospect’s name 10 days after the NBA Draft Combine, which will be held in Chicago from May 16-22.

Yahoo reports the NCAA’s deadline is June 1, 2022. One caveat is that combine invitees who are not drafted are permitted return to college, but chances of a combine invitee going undrafted seem slim.

Best of luck, Aminu!