Baylor Basketball Forward Jalen Bridges Declares for NBA Draft

Baylor senior forward and All-Big 12 Third teamer, Jalen Bridges, declared for the NBA Draft Monday afternoon via his social media accounts.

The Fairmont, West Virginia native averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 31.8 minutes per game this past season for the Bears. He shot 41% from three on 177 attempts while notching a true shooting percentage of 61.6% and an offensive rating of 130.1 per KenPom.

With four years of college experience, the 6-foot-7 220-pound forward will hope to add to the growing ranks of Baylor Bears selected in the draft. With a late second-round to undrafted projection — ESPN ranks him as the 56th overall prospect and 14th best small forward — Bridges will be on the cusp of a Kendall Brown route (48th pick) or possibly an Adam Flagler (undrafted) route into the league.

The first round of the NBA Draft will be held on June 26th in New York City, with the second round on the following day.

Looking back at Baylor’s roster, a transfer is likely to be brought in to help replace Bridges’ production. Igor Milicic out of Charlotte is one target for Scott Drew and his staff. The 6-foot-10, 225-pound senior averaged 13 points per game and nine rebounds with 38% shooting from deep. He has visited Tennessee, Nebraska and Baylor and will make a decision soon per our Ashley Hodge.