Top 20 players who should return to college

The 2016 NBA Draft is full of question marks and things don’t always work out as planned for college underclassmen who declare for the draft.

Many players are testing the waters and have until May 25 — 10 days after the NBA Draft Combine — to return to college as long as they don’t hire an agent.

Here are 20 players who would be better served by returning to school and the reasons why they should stay in school.

Isaiah Briscoe | Kentucky | PG/SG | Fr.

The New Jersey native did a tremendous job at changing his body when he arrived in Lexington and that allowed him to become a terrific perimeter defender as a freshman. Now it’s time for Briscoe to improve his offense. The 6-3 guard shot just 5-of-37 from 3-point range last season and needs to prove he can score in ways other than simply bullying opponents in the paint. Briscoe’s return to Lexington would provide John Calipari with a strong veteran presence in the backcourt that would anchor the Wildcats’ talented first-year class of De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones, and Bam Adebayo with some much needed veteran experience.

Marcus Lee | Kentucky | PF | Jr.

A former McDonald’s All-American, Lee finally saw regular minutes for the first time his college career last season and did a very solid job inside for the Wildcats. But that doesn’t mean he’s even close to being ready to play in the NBA. The 6-9, 224 pound jumping jack averaged 6.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 21.8 minutes for Kentucky with most of his points coming directly around the rim. Lee should return to school and attempt to bulk up and refine his offense in hopes of providing the Wildcats with another seasoned frontcourt player in their rotation.

Troy Williams | Indiana | SF | Jr.

Williams is an NBA level athlete, but that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to be a first-round pick. The 6-7 forward has only made a combined 38 3-point shots during his three years with the Hoosiers and needs to recalibrate his offensive game if he wants to have an immediate impact at the next level. Williams also needs to improve his ball security as last season he tallied 70 assists to 93 turnovers. With another year under Tom Crean, “inspector gadget” will be a potential top-10 pick in 2017 and he’ll also give Indiana a legitimate chance to win a second consecutive Big Ten regular season title.

Trevon Bluiett | Xavier | SF | Soph.

The Musketeers are a top-five team nationally if Blueitt returns next season and he’s also likely to get a bigger piece of the pie at Xavier with the departures of both James Farr and Jalen Reynolds. The 6-6 forward excelled as an undersized power forward last season, averaging 15.1 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range in what was a banner season for the Musketeers. Expect those averages to increase by 20 to 25 percent in 2016-17 if he comes back to Xavier.

Nigel Hayes | Wisconsin | PF | Jr.

Hayes struggled at times as a primary option for the Badgers after being an ancillary piece the past two seasons behind both Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky. He’d be best served to return for his senior season after shooting career lows in both field goal percentage (36.8) and 3-point percentage (29.3). Should Hayes go back to Wisconsin, the Badgers would be the clear favorite in the Big Ten next year. And it may not be close.

V.J. Beachem | Notre Dame | SF | Jr.

Beachem is a nice player and a deadly shooter, but he’s simply not ready to play in the NBA. The 6-8 wing would struggle to guard his position and needs to get better off the bounce. 88 of Beachem’s 159 made field goals last …

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