Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore Withdraw From Draft

Before Robbie Hummel went down with a crushing, season-ending injury, Purdue appeared poised to at least make a run to the Final Four. After, they boasted a tenacious defense and an experienced squad that had been together the past three seasons, steadily building to the point where they were a legit contender. But absent their sharp-shooting forward, the Boilermakers struggled -- to say the least -- putting the ball in the hoop, before falling to eventual champions Duke in the Sweet 16.

With only defensive stopper Chris Kramer graduating, Purdue looked to 2011 as the year they would make a deep run in the tourney -- until, that is, juniors JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore decided to test the NBA Draft waters. However, with the news that the duo will return to Lafayette for their senior season, SB Nation’s Hammer and Rails sees no reason why 2011 shouldn’t be the Year of the Boilermakers:

Of the two, Johnson is the more likely to land in the first round and stay in the draft. The 6’10”, 215-pound Johnson averaged 15.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Boilermakers this past season, and his athleticism and speed for a big certainly make him attractive to NBA GMs. His thin frame and raw offensive game, however, likely will push him down to the end of the first round, at best, with the most likely case being him coming off the board somewhere in the second round. ESPN’s Chad Ford currently ranks him as the 51st-best prospect in the class, while Draft Express has him 76th.

Moore is even less of a sure thing as an NBA prospect at this point, barely making a dent in mock drafts. The 6’3” combo guard was a key contributor for the Boilermakers last year, putting up 16.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, but he hasn’t cracked Chad Ford or Draft Express’ list of the top 100 prospects for 2010. In his case, it seems more likely he’ll use the pre-draft camps and evaluations to get a better sense from NBA GMs what he needs to work on to make himself a viable pro, before heading back to school.