Three Tigers to test NBA Draft waters

Three Mizzou players will put their names in for evaluation during the NBA Draft process per a release from the school on Tuesday afternoon. Juniors Jeremiah Tilmon and Mitchell Smith and sophomore Xavier Pinson will all evaluate their stock with NBA teams over the next few weeks.

All three players will leave open the option to return to college by the withdrawal deadline of June 3.

“I’m very supportive of all three of them going through this to receive key information from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee and greatly benefit from the process,” head coach Cuonzo Martin said in the releae. “I know they each have goals to pursue professional basketball at the highest levels and this is a significant step in that journey. We’ll help them in any way we can.”

Tilmon planned to go through the draft process a year ago, but a paperwork error prevented that from happening. He battled injury as a junior, playing in just 17 games, averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Pinson averaged 11.1 points for the season, but became one of Mizzou's go-to scorers in the second half of the season. The sophomore guard averaged 13.3 points per game in league play and scored 20 or more four times.

Smith set career-highs in points, rebounds and assists and led Missouri with 4.9 boards per game.

Each player has a little more than two months to make a final decision. Missouri currently has two open scholarships for the spring signing period assuming all three players return.