Yesterday, a story that surprised almost no one who roots for the Wolfpack surfaced about ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren:
North Carolina State’s T.J. Warren to Enter NBA Draft
North Carolina State sophomore T.J. Warren has decided to enter the June NBA draft, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Warren reached the decision with his family on Sunday and had been expected to inform the N.C. State coaching staff of his decision early this week, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Within minutes, T.J. Warren posted this on Twitter:
Shortly after that, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com chimed in, saying
NC State sophomore forward T.J. Warren is heading to the NBA, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Goodman, ever the thorough journalist, then added
Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried told Andy Katz of ESPN.com on Monday that Warren “has not decided yet” and will meet with his family Thursday to discuss the matter.
Curious. Despite the player and his head coach contradicting them saying that a decision had been reached, Goodman and Adrian Wojnarowski feel comfortable enough with their un-named sources that the Wolfpack superstar has made up his mind and will be playing his basketball in the NBA next year. Goodman covered his tracks, however, so either way he sounds like he was right all along.
Maybe the writers’ “sources” (whoever they may be) are right, or, maybe TJ Warren should be taken at his word. He is, after all, the person who ultimately has to make the call on where to go next, and quite honestly, he deserves people to believe him when he says he’s undecided about what to do. His teammates certainly seem to agree:
And we agree with them. T.J. Warren should do what’s best for him, and he should be left in peace to decide what that is. Ultimately, T.J. may indeed be a lottery pick in the draft, and if so, leaving might be what’s best for him. Or, he could be a lower mid-round pick who’d actually be playing somewhat limited minutes on a mid-tier team with established starters. If so, another year in school might help him make the case for being a lottery pick, while it allows him to further hone skills like his outside jumper and defense — things critical to not only getting into the pro leagues, but staying there for a second contract once he’s in.
But that’s not for us to decide, not as Wolfpack fans who know we’d have a legitimate top 20 team next year with #24 on the roster, not for sportswriters looking for click-baiting scoops and not for potential agents looking for a payday to decide. It’s T.J.’s call, period. And all of us should have the simple decency to let him think it through and make his own announcement, himself and in his own way.
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