There has been some speculation that Villanova's Philly-born sophomore point guard Maalik Wayns could declare for the NBA draft this season. In fact, FOX sports' Jeff Goodman had sources who claimed that Wayns would make the jump, but Wayns has maintained that the rumors are untrue.
On Twitter today, he seemed to put all rumors to rest.
Just to let everybody know I'm definitely coming back next year let's get it @JBells32 @Dom_Cheek23 @Zeek_Zeek34 @bigmouphy @MoeSutton_25
Maalik Wayns
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Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean he didn't put out some feelers to gauge NBA interest. If he's coming back, that probably means he didn't get the kind of answers he wanted from those feelers. Wayns had a nice year in his first season as a starter and should be the teams' leader next season. If his shooting improves and turnovers go down, he could certainly see a major hike in his draft stock during his junior year.
ESPN's Chad Ford currently has Wayns listed at No. 77 on his top 100 NBA prospects big board. He sees Wayns as a second-round pick to undrafted if he came out this year.
Wayns, a sophomore, appears to be very draftable in the next few years. Where he’ll go and when he’ll enter remain a mystery. He is capable of making excellent passes and driving an offense but needs to be far more disciplined with the ball, just like Fisher. Scouts will be more lenient with him and his 2.9 turnovers a game because this is only his second year of college ball. But they will expect him to make strides in this area, just as they will want to see him become a better shooter. He’s a decent finisher inside and making progress there, but his poor outside shot and his interest in taking more than three 3-pointers a game, despite making just 30 percent of them, is a problem. He has the quickness and craftiness to get fouled and earn free throws, and scouts must wonder how much more effective he’d be driving more and shooting less.