FSU Basketball: Early NBA Mock Drafts Have Noles Duo Getting Picked

FSU basketball has a pair of players in Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac who could both be hearing their names called early in this year’s NBA Draft.

For FSU basketball, the 2016-17 season has been a gift that the program hasn’t seen in a while. The team is over 20 wins in the regular season for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign – which was also the last time they went to the NCAA Tournament and the only time they won the ACC Tournament championship.

Much of the reason why the Seminoles are going to be back in the Big Dance this season has been maybe the best collection of depth and talent on the roster since the team’s Elite Eight finish in the 1992-93 season – a team with future NBA first round picks like Charlie Ward, Doug Edwards, Sam Cassell and Bob Sura.

The Seminoles have at least two players who if they turn pro (and let’s be honest, they probably are going to) will be hearing their names called in the first round this June by NBA commissioner Adam Silver during the league’s player draft. Sophomore Dwayne Bacon and freshman Jonathan Isaac are the FSU basketball stars who are finding their names being mentioned as future NBA players come this summer.

In a list of several recent mock drafts both just before and after Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, both Bacon and Isaac are on almost every single one:

"NBADraft.netNo. 4 Orlando Magic – Jonathan IsaacNo. 18 Indiana Pacers – Dwayne BaconDraftExpess.comNo. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonathan IsaacNo. 42 Charlotte Hornets – Dwayne BaconNESNNo. 7 Dallas Mavericks – Jonathan IsaacNBADraftRoom.comNo. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonathan IsaacNo. 26 Utah Jazz – Dwayne BaconFanSidedNo. 5 Orlando Magic – Jonathan Isaac"

Florida State Seminoles Basketball

Bacon has seen his stock slip somewhat of late – especially after a scoreless showing during a road loss to lowly Pittsburgh last weekend – but still will have chances to build it back up with games left against Duke, Miami as well as the ACC and NCAA tournaments. FSU basketball has been living on borrowed time with the Lakeland native, who could have gone pro last season and joined Malik Beasley as a draft pick but returned to school.

Many have felt that Isaac was going to be a one and done from the second he signed with the Seminoles before this season. As a top 10 prospect, his name was already being mentioned as a lottery pick while playing for IMG Academy – so don’t get too attached to the Naples native.

If and when both players are selected this summer, they will become the 43rd and 44th players in program history to be taken in the NBA Draft. A selection by both in the first round would be the first time that has happened for the program since 1993 (Doug Edwards by Atlanta and Sam Cassell by Houston) and the third time since that year that multiple players have been taken in the same draft – joining 2010 with Solomon Alibi (Dallas ) and Ryan Reid (Indiana) in the second round.