Emoni Bates stood in the middle of the field as part of Tuesday’s top-10 game as Memphis drew at 6 Alabama.
Bates and the Tigers are struggling as they have lost four games in a row since opening the season 5-0. It’s been a relatively quiet start for the five-star freshman, who leads the Tigers in scores with 11.2 points per game with just 38.8 percent of shots.
NBA fans watching Bates for the first time might wonder why his name doesn’t appear on any drafts soon and it has nothing to do with his slow start.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the five-star employer single draft status.
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Why did Memphis star Emoni Bates not qualify for the 2022 NBA Draft?
Bates was heavily touted as a prospect upon their arrival, ranking as the No. 2 player in their high school class for 2022 before being selected for reclassification in the class of 2021. Even as a 17-year-old boy. has been reclassified, Bates remains ranked as the number 4 prospect of the class of 2021, receiving invitations from all the top programs in the country.
The 6-foot-9 striker was originally committed to Michigan State to play under head coach Tom Izzo in June 2020, but changed his mind, deciding to attend Memphis instead to join him. competed under head coach Penny Hardaway.
The decision allows Bates to team up with his AAU companion and a potential top five pick in the 2022 NBA Draft in Jalen Duren, giving the Tigers one of the most talented pairings in the country as they head into the season. 12th place award by Associated Press.
Bates was voted as a Sports News Pre-season All-American Second Team and is often compared to NBA superstar Kevin Durant for his slim frame and ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor.
He’s undeniably one of the best prospects in the country but under current NBA regulations, Bates won’t be able to fill his name in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The NBA’s draft eligibility rules stipulate that all draft players must be 19 or older in their draft calendar year, meaning Bates will have to turn 19 in 2022 to qualified for the 2022 NBA Draft.
With his birthday on January 28, 2004, Bates is now 17 years old and will only be 18 at the end of 2022.
That means he’ll have to play two seasons at Memphis and then get into the squad, or play one season at Memphis and take a break next year to train for the squad before qualifying in 2023.
While there have been previous talks to reduce the NBA’s draft eligibility age to 18, there’s no update on the progress of those conversations ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Without a rule change, Bates will have to wait until 2023 to hear his name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
