When it comes to leaving college for the NBA Draft, there are some decisions that make a lot of sense, like OG Anunoby; there are some decisions that make a decent amount of sense like Thomas Bryant and Caleb Swanigan; And then there are decisions that make almost no sense whatsoever, like James Blackmon, Jr.

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - There are some decisions that make a lot of sense, like OG Anunoby hiring an agent and declaring for the NBA Draft, where he will certainly be someone’s first-round selection. Maybe not a Lottery selection, not with so many one-and-dones dominating this year's draft class, but definitely a first rounder.

There are some decisions that make a decent amount of sense, like Thomas Bryant and Caleb Swanigan likely declaring for the Draft by the May 24 deadline. Bryant reportedly is set to hire an agent, and Swanigan’s father, Roosevelt Barnes, is himself a sports agent. Bryant could benefit from an additional year in college, more so than Swanigan, who did just about everything a young man could do this past college basketball season. Both will be drafted. Both will have a chance to catch somebody’s eye.

And then there are the decisions that make almost no sense whatsoever, like James Blackmon, Jr.’s decision to hire an agent and declare for the NBA Draft. Maybe he should have taken the hint when the NBA did not invite him to this weekend’s NBA Combine; apparently not. Blackmon, Jr. will not get drafted, and then will have to hope he grabs somebody’s attention in a training camp – if he’s invited to one – or maybe in the NBA’s development league. The good news is, he earned his college degree this past weekend from IU; the bad news is, he needs to be a point guard at the next level but lacks the requisite skills to play the position.

Don’t take my word for it, though.

Here’s the view of an unnamed NBA personnel director on the immediate futures of Anunoby, Bryant, Swanigan and Blackmon, Jr. as the May 24 deadline approaches.

On Anunoby: “He’s a first rounder, but I don’t think he’s a Lottery pick. Like [Bryant], he wasn’t having too good of a year before he was injured. His physical tools get him close [to the Lottery], but not quite. That said, he’s got a ton of upside. The body, his athleticism and he’s a great kid. He still has to learn the game a little bit and he’s got to be a more consistent shooter. But he could turn into one. What he needs to do is turn himself into a Stanley Johnson or a Jalen Brown.’’

On Bryant: “I’d say overall he didn’t have a great year. He didn’t show a lot of improvement over the year before. I would never advise anybody to enter a draft when you don’t have momentum, if you don’t have to, and I don’t feel like he’s got momentum right now. Now maybe he can play really well [this weekend] at the NBA Combine and maybe reestablish some momentum, but I’d say he’s a second-round pick right now. The intangibles are all really good – he’s a great kid who works really hard. It’s just that he didn’t have a good year. I would advise him to go back and ask the new coach [Archie Miller], 'What’s my role? Instead of handling the ball at the 3-point line, will I be a little bit more of a traditional big man?' With next year’s draft, it doesn’t have nearly as many one-and-dones from what we can tell, so a lot of them now who are testing the water, I’d say it’s the wrong year to do that. There are too many really good freshmen and sophomores who will get picked early who will push everybody back, and I think Bryant will be affected by that."

On Swanigan: “I’ll give you a big range [on where he might be selected]: 20 to 40. I think he’ll develop into a good backup power forward. I love everything about him except his lateral movement, he doesn’t play above the rim and while he made a bunch of 3’s this year, he still has to improve. He’s got to be able to step away from the basket so that he doesn’t have to finish at the rim against bigger, more athletic guys where he struggled, even in college. The work ethic, the want-to, the thing about Caleb is, he’ll be as good as he can possibly be. His story speaks for itself, his year speaks for itself, but at some point, athletically, I don’t see him turning into a starter – but don’t totally count him out. That range, somebody can take him in the 20’s, but if he gets to the second round, he won’t last long. Somebody will grab him.’’

On Blackmon, Jr: “I can’t explain this one. I can’t. He wasn’t even invited to the NBA Combine, which tells you 30 teams don’t think he’s draftable. His game just doesn’t translate to the NBA. He’s never turned himself into a point guard, and that’s where he’d have to play at this level. He’s not a great athlete. He can really make shots but his size precludes him from playing a shooting guard in the NBA. I think he’ll have a pro career somewhere, but at this time, I wouldn’t project it to be in our league.’’

Most NBA people will tell a player, unless you’re a surefire first-round pick (which comes with guaranteed money), stay in school, grow your game and come back around to the NBA Draft process the next year. That’s starting to change, though. Starting next year, teams will have two spots on their roster to bring in two players who are on two-way contracts between the NBDL and the NBA. It’s not NBA money, but it’s not NBDL money, either; it’s somewhere inbetween.

Players, especially local players, see this, too: Troy Williams went undrafted. He is now coming off the bench for the Houston Rockets. Yogi Ferrell went undrafted. He went to Brooklyn, landed with Brooklyn’s D-League team on Long Island, signed a 10-day deal with Dallas and then…went crazy. He played brilliantly, so brilliantly, he was ultimately signed to a multi-year contract.

The odds, though, are long. Really long. Always are.

“In a good draft, maybe 40 of 60 players [selected] actually make it, and once you reach the second round, it’s hard to stick,’’ the personnel man said. “This year, there’s more than 180 early entries and only 60 draft spots. And how much real turnover is there in the league? Of 450 players, maybe 50 spots turn over, so the odds are very long. It can be done. Guys who you think won’t make it, do, and guys who you think will make it, don’t. So it gets very interesting.’’