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Kansas Jayhawks: Cliff Alexander Declares For The NBA Draft

By Zach Blochlinger

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Kansas Jayhawks freshman Cliff Alexander has officially declared for the 2015 NBA Draft according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Alexander leaves the Kansas Jayhawks after a very unsuccessful season when considering his expectations coming into the season. Alexander was ranked as the number three overall recruit coming into the 2014-15 season and was expected to be a dominating force playing along side Perry Ellis in the post.

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As the season progressed, it seemed as if Alexander was finally starting to find his stride and his place in Bill Self’s rotation. He was averaging 7.1 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and 1.3 blocks per game until he ran into some eligibility issues which caused him to miss the majority of the second half of the season.

The Kansas Jayhawks really missed what his reputation portrayed him as, which was a physically imposing big-man who made the opposition feel his presence on both ends of the floor. We saw flashes of this at certain points in games, but we never really got what was advertised when it came to his ability.

Entering the 2015 NBA Draft comes as a bit of a surprise to a lot of people as his draft stock has fell tremendously due to him not being on the court and him not living up to his reputation. Most expected to see Alexander back in Lawrence for another season even with the news of incoming freshman big-man Carlton Bragg’s commitment to the Kansas Jayhawks.

Most NBA Draft experts project Alexander as anywhere from a late first round pick to an early second round pick. ESPN’s NBA Draft Expert Chad Ford has Alexander “going anywhere from the 20-40 range.”

DraftExpress.com has Alexander going to the Knicks with the first pick of the second round, joining first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns in the Big Apple for the beginning of next season.

Alexander’s average height for an NBA power forward at 6-foot-8, questionable basketball IQ, and college disappointment and lack of playing time all combine for what might be a bad night for the now ex-Jayhawk at the NBA Draft as he may slip into the second round.

Cliff Alexander’s decision to go pro is a surprise to most with the unfortunate eligibility issues that he had to deal with this season, but he made his decision and hopefully at least one NBA General Manager thinks higher of him than most of the experts do.

Next: Jaylen Brown Might Be An Option For Kansas Jayhawks

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