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Should Scottie Reynolds go pro now?

There is no question that Reynolds can play at the next level. The more important question is should Scottie Reynolds make his jump to the next level now? According to most mock draft boards around the country, Reynolds is projected to be a second-round pick. If you are an underclassman and declaring for the NBA Draft, you want to be a first round pick. The idea is that Reynolds will go to NBA Draft workouts and he will try and improve his draft stock to first-round status. If he can do that, then he may want to take the chance and stay in the NBA Draft. But if he does not, then most likely he will be back at Villanova this year.

But back to the question at hand: Should Scottie Reynolds enter the NBA Draft now? There are still some aspects of Reynolds game that could use improvement before leaving the Villanova campus right outside of Philadelphia for the riches of the National Basketball Association. For all his talents and ability to take the ball to basket and make the big shot, Reynolds still gets careless with the ball at times. When the game is on the line, Reynolds does take care of the basketball and he makes big time plays. This is the part of Reynolds’ game that would attract NBA scouts the most. But his inconsistency during the regular season is something that Scottie can improve upon.

When Scottie is not making game-winning shots and knocking down three-pointers at key times, he does contribute to Villanova in other ways. He puts his teammates in position to make plays and is one of the top defensive guards in the Big East Conference. All those characteristics of Reynolds game is what will make him not only an attractive draft prospect, but a solid NBA point guard.

But is it wise for Scottie Reynolds to enter the NBA Draft now? As a second-round pick, the contract Reynolds would receive would be much smaller than that received if he was drafted in the first-round. If Reynolds decides to stay at Villanova for his senior season, his NBA Draft stock can only rise. If he gets injured, then that of course is another story. But other than his late-game heroics in the Elite Eight game against Pittsburgh and the Wildcats unlikely Final Four run, Reynolds did nothing extremely significant in his junior season.

You can compare this situation to the situation that for Saint Joseph’s Hawks guard Delonte West was in several years ago. In 2004, the Hawks were a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it all the way to the Elite Eight before losing in the final seconds to Oklahoma State. During that season, fellow guard Jameer Nelson and West were the primary scorers for the Saint Joe’s Hawks. Nelson was a senior that year and was heading to the NBA Draft. With Nelson gone, it was unlikely Saint Joseph’s would make that kind of run and get that kind of national attention against the following season. Therefore, West, who was a junior in 2004, decided to enter the NBA Draft and was selected in the late stages of the first round in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Reynolds is a similar player to West in terms of where he projects to be in the NBA. Villanova lost seniors Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, which are all significant losses for the Wildcats. But returning are guards Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes and head coach Jay Wright is bringing in one of the top recruiting classes in the country. So there is a good chance that Villanova will be on the national scene once again this season, therefore giving Reynolds a stage to perform on for the NBA scouts to see.

So it is this writer’s belief that if Scottie Reynolds keeps his name in this year’s NBA Draft, he will not get the results that he wants. If he stays at Villanova for his senior season, barring an injury, he can only improve his draft stock. In all honesty, he will probably be a second round pick no matter what since this writer feels he is simply a backup point guard at the NBA level. Therefore, staying at Villanova makes sense for Reynolds, Jay Wright, the Villanova Wildcat basketball program and the city of Philadelphia.

For more info: Think Philly Sports, Sports Journey