For the last four years, Westwood has been the permanent address
of Dijon Thompson’s basketball career.
But on Tuesday, the graduated senior will most likely call one
of 30 different destinations his new basketball home.
What that the destination is, however, will be determined
Tuesday night at the 2005 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden in New
York.
Current projections are pegging Thompson, who is the only Bruin
to enter his name in this year’s NBA draft, to be selected in
the middle of the second round.
If Thompson is indeed selected in the second round, the team
that drafts him is not obligated to sign him, but will carry his
league rights for three years.
If he creeps into the first round, however, Thompson will be
guaranteed at least a one-year contract with the team that selects
him.
According to published reports, the Los Angeles Clippers and
Utah Jazz are the teams that have expressed the most interest in
Thompson’s services, having invited the former Bruin back for
multiple workouts. The Clippers hold the 32nd pick in
Tuesday’s draft, while the Jazz hold two second-round
selections at the 34th and 51st picks.
But in one report a few months ago, a scout, speaking on
condition of anonymity, projected Thompson to be as high as a late
first-round pick, a stark contrast from last year, when Thompson
had also entered the draft.
Luckily for Thompson, he did not sign with an agent, allowing
him to compare his strengths and weaknesses to those of other draft
prospects and return to Westwood for his senior season.
Upon his return to UCLA, Thompson rededicated himself during his
senior year in Westwood, leading a team mainly composed of upstart
underclassmen to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since
2002.
Along with averaging a team-high 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds a
game, Thompson, who shot the ball at a 47.4 percent clip, appeared
to have markedly improved his standing in the draft.
But he was not able to transform that performance into a high
draft status. Since the draft camps have commenced after the
college basketball season, it seems that Thompson’s stock has
steadily fallen.
The Redondo Beach native has struggled to shed criticism for his
passive play and for prioritizing his offense over his defense.
Though Thompson says the criticism never really affected him
during his time at UCLA, he nonetheless is heeding the advice that
he needs to get stronger to be able to compete in the much more
rigorous NBA game.
At 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Thompson, who played power forward
for most of the 2004-05 college basketball season, appears to
better fit the professional mold of small forward.
Thompson’s draft situation is eerily similar to former
Bruin Trevor Ariza’s a year ago.
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Ariza was selected in the middle of the
second round with the 43rd pick by the New York Knicks, and
averaged 5.9 points and 3.0 rebounds while primarily playing small
forward in his first season in the NBA.
With reports from Jeff Eisenberg, Bruin Sports senior
staff