UConn forward Alex Karaban, a starting lineup mainstay during the program’s back-to-back title runs, announced Thursday he is declaring for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility.
“Thank you to my family and friends for all of the countless sacrifices and constant support throughout my career — especially during the ups and downs,” Karaban wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
— Alex Karaban (@AlexKaraban) April 18, 2024
“Thank you Coach Hurley, Coach Kimani, Coach Murray and Coach Moore for your belief in me and giving me the opportunity to play at UConn. You guys have pushed me not only to be a better player, but also have helped me become a better man. My experience here has exceeded my expectations and I am blessed to be part of back-to-back national championships.”
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The Southborough, Ma., native started 77 of his 78 career games since redshirting his first year. In 2023-24, he averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 37.9 percent from 3 on 5.5 attempts per game.
On loaded UConn teams, where he was often the third or fourth option on offense, the 6-foot-8 Karaban provided both size on defense and floor spacing on offense, a skillset that could make him even more valuable on an NBA roster.
While Karaban struggled in the national championship game against Purdue, scoring five points on 2-of-7 shooting, his 14 points and eight rebounds against Alabama were crucial in what was the Huskies toughest challenge all tournament.
Karaban was projected to be selected with the No. 39 pick in the upcoming draft, according to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.
What kind of draft feedback can Karaban expect?
I’d imagine Karaban’s draft feedback will be mostly positive. Vecenie has him as a mid-second rounder in his latest draft. He’s definitely a guy who should be drafted and could maybe even creep up into the first round. The NBA loves wings with size who can shoot and know how to play.
Karaban is a guy most NBA coaches would be comfortable including in their rotation because of his ability to fit a low-usage role. He’s played in a system where most of his buckets were shots off the catch — 3s in transition, spotting up or off screens — or from cutting. He’s an elite cutter. The one thing NBA teams might want to see is can his shot become more consistent. He shot 40.2 percent from 3 in his redshirt freshman season and then 37.9 percent this season. If he was 40-plus this year, it feels like he’d be a no-brainer. The one reason I could see him returning is just to show he can shoot it even better and at a higher volume.
If he does stay in the draft, he’ll be a big loss for UConn just because he fit so well. He’s terrific off the ball in UConn’s offense, which features a lot of movement. He’s also a solid defender who can guard bigs and on the perimeter. He played mostly at the 4 but UConn was able to play him some at the 5 in a pinch. That versatility was valuable. If he leaves, Jaylin Stewart is the one most likely to benefit and fill that spot for the Huskies. — C.J. Moore, college basketball staff writer
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Where could Karaban fall in the draft?
Karaban is one of my favorites compared to current stock in this class. He’s an outstanding defensive wing off the ball who does a phenomenal job of playing cat and mouse on the weak side, and is constantly in the right, disruptive spot rotationally. On top of that, he’s a consistent 40 percent 3-point shooter at 6-8. It’s genuinely hard to find players with that package of skills.
I have Karaban in my top 35 right now and think he has a very real chance to hear his name called near the end of the first round. He’s not a shot creator, and NBA teams do actually have a few more worries about the shot mechanics than you’d think because it’s kind of a funky looking load into the shot. But 40 percent from 3 with awesome team defense while having been an integral starter on back-to-back national title teams is an exceptionally intriguing starting point to bet on for teams near the end of the first round that, by and large, have star players already and are looking to accent them with excellent role players. — Sam Vecenie, senior NBA Draft writer
Required reading
- UConn, Purdue showed blueprint for building NCAA championship rosters — again
- Forward Alex Karaban sees ‘unmatched’ opportunity as he commits to UConn
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)