NBA scout says Emoni Bates ‘too much of a circus’ to consider drafting

Eastern Michigan forward Emoni Bates dribbles against Northern Illinois during the first half at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023.
Eastern Michigan forward Emoni Bates dribbles against Northern Illinois during the first half at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. /
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Emoni Bates was once the highest-rated NBA Draft prospect in his class. Now he might not get selected at all.

According to Seth Davis of The Athletic, a scout has said that Emoni Bates is considered “too much of a circus” to end up being drafted. This is a low blow for the player who was at one time a top player in his class. He initially committed to Memphis until he flamed out and wound up transferring to Eastern Michigan. He still didn’t end up playing well there, even against a lower tier of competition and ultimately declared for the draft.

According to Davis’ article, he has ended up being somewhat productive in team workouts. Still, his college career probably takes him out of the draft conversation. This is due to the fact that he was viewed as a selfish player in a college player, a chucker who wasn’t a particularly efficient shooter. He averaged 19.2 points per game last season, but shot just 40.4 percent from the field and 33.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Does this mean that Emoni Bates will not have a career in the NBA?

Just because a player doesn’t get drafted does not mean that he will end up in the NBA. Plenty of players have ended up making it as undrafted players. Players have gone overseas for a couple of years and then ended up in the league. Also, the other route is going into the G League.

After the draft is over, he could end up signing a two-way contract. Teams have taken filers on a lot of players with worse reputations in the league. After Bates signs with a potential team on a two-way contract, he could end up splitting his time between the G League and the NBA, developing his game and changing his reputation.

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