German wing Karim Jallow has submitted paperwork to make himself eligible for the 2018 NBA draft, his agent, Jan Rohdewald, told ESPN.
“Playing in the NBA has been my dream since I can remember,” Jallow told ESPN. “Entering the draft will help me get there. I want to test myself against the best draft candidates and everything I learn in the process will help me improve.”
Jallow -- a 21-year-old, 6-foot-7 small forward -- is dominating the German third division (called ProB), averaging 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 32 minutes per game for FC Bayern Munich II. He’s also made 13 appearances for Bayern Munich’s main team in the EuroCup and German BBL, posting much more modest averages, totaling 31 points and nine rebounds in 68 minutes of action.
“Unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to play against top-level talent regularly this season,” Jallow said. “I believe that the workouts will show NBA teams that I’m just as good as guys who went to big colleges in the USA or played in the top leagues in Europe. I can play multiple positions, on both ends, and that’s what every NBA team is looking for.”
ESPN’s Mike Schmitz was in Germany and was able to evaluate Jallow in a live setting, writing that he “has NBA tools and athleticism at 6-7 with high shoulders, a strong frame and big hands. Despite an oddly hunched over stance, he defends up to four positions at the ProB level while making an impact offensively by sprinting the floor, moving off the ball and crashing the offensive glass relentlessly. He has improved as a standstill shooter but lacks a degree of natural touch and talent. He has a mediocre feel for the game, rigid ball skills and a fairly unnatural shooting stroke (27.5 career 3-point percentage), but his physical profile and energy should help him get looks in the mid- to late-second round. NBA teams are starving for defensive-minded wings, and despite his shortcomings, Jallow has the tools and motor to at least disrupt the game defensively for short stretches.”
Jallow is currently rated the No. 72 prospect in the ESPN Top 100 and is considered a potential second-round pick by NBA teams. As an international player born in 1997, he will have one more opportunity to go through the NBA draft process in 2019 should he elect to withdraw his name at the early-entry deadline on June 11.
“I would like to prove to teams that I belong in the NBA,” Jallow said. “I think the experience, the workouts, the competition, it’s all going to make me better.”