In tonights NBA draft, many players will see their dreams come true as they hear their names called. While the Irish don't have a projected top pick like LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards, former Notre Dame forward John Mooney has put his name in the pool and now has a chance to land with an NBA team. The hope is that Mooney hears his name called tonight, but he may have a tougher road to the NBA than he hoped.
While anything is possible in the late second round of the draft, Mooney is currently not ranked in the ESPN or CBS top 100 prospects list which makes it seem like his "plan A" of getting drafted may not work out. In a normal year, a player like Mooney would go to the summer league and have the chance to make an impression on NBA/G-league teams there, but as we all know, this year is anything but normal. Mooney said the lack of an NBA offseason and pre-draft workouts "definitely effected my (his) decision" to sign a deal across the globe. If the former Notre Dame star goes undrafted tonight he will likely play his first professional year in Perth where he is already quarantining and preparing for the season. Even if he ends up in Perth this season, all hope is not lost for the all-ACC forward's NBA hopes, as his contract with the Wildcats has an opt out in it which allows him to come back to America and play if he is offered a contract by an NBA team.
In his senior season the forward earned all-ACC honors while averaging 16 points and 12 rebounds per game. When making a case for Mooney to NBA scouts, Notre Dame assistant coach Ryan Humphrey said that those numbers are no accident. In his final two seasons at Notre Dame, Mooney was among the most consistent players in all of college basketball because of his ability to dominate the game in the post and on the boards. But, this offseason he has focused on becoming more consistent beyond the arc, and with that in mind he decided to change his jumpshot and focus on taking the hitch out of it. This past season Mooney was one of the main victims of the college three point line being moved back because he described himself as someone who jumps a lot when he shoots, naturally when someone jumps a lot when they shoot it gets harder and harder to hit shots the deeper they are. The former Notre Dame stars' new look shot is quicker and more fluid than what we saw in the spring so he should be more of a threat from deep than he ever has been before.
Wherever Mooney lands this season, it seems we will see a more lean, spry player than we last saw in Greensboro in April. A lot will probably happen before we will see him on the court again this winter, but wherever he lands, Mooney will have the same mindset...
"I'm just gonna lace em up and play hoops man"
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