‘He plays like a grown man’: Sydney Kings Next Star Alex Toohey to weigh up NBA draft future

Sydney Kings young gun Alex Toohey is likely to delay NBA draft a year so he can keep developing before moving to the US.

NBL legends are divided on Sydney Kings Next Star Alex Toohey declaring for the 2024 draft, as some NBA scouts believe the Canberra-born forward should take the patient road to the world’s best league.

Toohey, who has been a standout this season, has signed a two-year deal with the Kings.

The plan was to originally apply for the 2025 draft, however his impressive form to start NBL24 has prompted respected voices to suggest he could declare for the draft a year ahead of schedule.

Former NBL MVP Derek Rucker believes Toohey is in a no-lose situation and should consider next year’s NBA draft, despite having another season at the Kings up his sleeve.

Alex Toohey has impressed in his first NBL season with the Sydney Kings as a Next Stars signing. Photo: Russell Freeman/Getty Images for NBL

Rucker says the young King has showcased enough class to enter his name in the 2024 draft.

“I would declare and see what the market says and then decide,” Rucker said about Toohey, who has averaged 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds.

“His agent will have good intel by January or February (in terms of making a decision).”

Fellow NBL great Chris Anstey would like to see Toohey spend another season in Australia to further develop his skills.

Code Sports understands some NBA scouts aren’t convinced the 19-year-old is ready to take the leap to the benchmark basketball league just yet.

Toohey continues to impress, though, like in Friday night’s 20-point win over the Illawarra Hawks.

The gifted youngster dropped eight points and added seven rebounds, two assists and one block.

Toohey ❌
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Toohey’s classy display attracted big praise from NBL great Lanard Copeland during the commentary.

“He might be a Next Star, but he doesn’t play like a Next Star. He plays like a grown man,” Copeland beamed.

Toohey’s status as a genuine high-level draft prospect is also picking up momentum among NBA Draft circles.

Draft expert Richard Stayman expressed his belief that “Toohey has a chance to be the best player right away” out of the current crop of Next Stars, and said “he’s somebody I feel like is really going to rise up the draft rankings this year because of the NBL program a lot of people haven’t yet caught up on,” on the Locked on NBA Big Board podcast.

NBA Draft analysts Tyler Metcalf and Tyler Rucker are also riding the Toohey train.

“I’m very, very high on him and he’s very close to my first round,” Metcalf stated on a recent episode of the No Ceilings NBA Draft Podcast. “I've currently got him in the mid-thirties.”

Toohey has big wraps on him. Photo: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Toohey will get a chance to showcase his talent against the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday in a replay of last season’s grand final series.

The Breakers are coming off a 10-point win over Cairns – and will be fired up to redeem last year’s loss to the Kings for the NBL23 championship.

SYDNEY KINGS VS NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS AT QUDOS BANK ARENA FROM 4PM AND LIVE ON ESPN AND KAYO

KEY STATS FOR THE NBL GRAND FINAL REPLAY

-Sydney snapped a two-game losing slide with a confidence boosting 20-point win over Illawarra on Friday.

-Five Kings scored in double figures, including 10 points, six rebounds and three assists and three steals from under-fire import guard Denzel Valentine.

-The numbers have Sydney 5th in offence and 5th in defence, but will this improve in the coming weeks?

-Breakers’ Queensland-born guard Will McDowell-White, who starred in last season’s grand final series against the Kings, is leading the league in assists but struggling to shoot … hitting only 30 per cent of his shots this season.

Originally published as ‘He plays like a grown man’: Sydney Kings Next Star Alex Toohey to weigh up NBA draft future