The most pressing question facing Nebraska at the moment is the pending decisions of seniors-to-be James Palmer Jr. and Isaac Copeland, who continue to evaluate their standings in the 2018 NBA draft class.
While fans are anxiously awaiting an announcement on whether the two standouts will be back with the Huskers in 2018-19, neither player seems ready to make a decision one way or another just yet.
In a phone interview with HuskerOnline.com on Thursday afternoon, head coach Tim Miles said he still had no idea whether Palmer and/or Copeland would return next season or make the jump to the professional ranks.
“Between me and some of my staff, we’ve reached out to several NBA teams,” Miles said. “We’re still waiting to hear back from some of them to find out where James and Isaac sit in terms of getting them another workout. Some have said no, some have said ‘we’ll get back to you.’ So we’re just trying to do as best we can to get them as much exposure and good work as we can.”
Palmer has worked out with the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers, while Copeland has held workouts with the Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Other teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets have called inquiring about the players, but no other workouts have been scheduled as of yet.
The good news for Nebraska is that the deadline for players to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft pool is Wednesday, May 30, meaning the wait on that front will only last six more days at most.
Miles said he had no idea how long Palmer and Copeland would wait to make their decisions, but he said he’s not rushing them as the deadline approaches.
“I have very little idea,” Miles said. “I want to give them the best advice I can, which is we start out with a philosophy of, hey, if you can be a lottery pick, you’re out. If you can be a first-round pick, you should probably go…
“These guys are well informed and are smart young men, and I think they’ll make the best choice. You know, they have to look out for their families and what’s going on and make the best decision possible.
“Like anything, it’s 50/50. Yes or no.”