Arkansas coach John Calipari’s smile must be as wide as the Buffalo National River after hearing the names of his players in the NBA Draft. Darius Acuff Jr. went to the Sacramento Kings at No. 7, Meleek Thomas went to the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 34, and Trevon Brazile went to the Denver Nuggets at No. 35.
They are the latest additions to the long list of young prospects mentored by Calipari who made it to the NBA. While not all of them panned out, going on stage in the NBA Draft was already a big milestone.
Acuff is likely going to get a major role right away, while Thomas and Brazile will probably have to fight for their spots. Calipari, however, is fully confident that all of them will find success in the NBA.
“I think all three of our players will outplay and outperform their draft positions. All three of them. They were all great teammates. They were unselfish, played to win, and the sky is the limit for all three. They are on different paths, but they are going to get the same results,” said Calipari on X.
Acuff, Thomas, and Brazile led Arkansas to the title in the SEC Tournament, beating Vanderbilt. They made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
The 67-year-0ld Calipari, who coached the New Jersey Nets from 1996 to 1999, has often stated that his real mission is to help young players fulfill their dreams of making it to the NBA.
Acuff, Thomas, and Brazile will try to follow in the footsteps of Calipari’s former stars, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey, Bam Adebayo, Julius Randle, De’Aaron Fox, and Tyler Herro, to name a few.
Last year, Adou Thiero, who played for Calipari at Kentucky and Arkansas, was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets at No. 36. He was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The post John Calipari drops bold predictions for all 3 Arkansas players after NBA Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.
