Marquette men’s basketball’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper is going to the NBA.
The 6-foot-8 forward announced on Instagram Friday morning that he will be staying in the NBA draft pool, forfeiting his final year of college eligibility.
“Thank you Marquette nation, my coaches, my teammates and support staff for embracing me from day one,” Prosper said in the post. “My time at Marquette has been incredible. With that being said, I will remain in the 2023 NBA Draft. I’m excited for what comes next. On to the next chapter…”
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Prosper fits the “three-and-D” physical description that is in high demand in the NBA. He has a 7-foot-1 wingspan and has used his defensive versatility to guard different players at the point of Marquette’s press.
The Montreal, Québec native has improved his 3-point shooting since becoming a Golden Eagle. In his first season at Marquette, he went 19-for-60 (31.7%) from deep, while this past season he netted 33.9% of his triples.
What put Prosper on the map, however, was his performance at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Illinois.
At the NBA Combine, Prosper recorded a 35-inch standing vertical, which ranked second among all participants and a 40.5-inch maximum vertical, which tied for second along with Villanova forward Cam Whitmore. In the five-on-five scrimmage May 17, Prosper scored 21 points and secured seven rebounds.
“My mentality was just (to) come in and have great energy, be a great teammate, communicate and go out there and play my game,” Prosper said to ESPN’s John Schriffen after the scrimmage. “Play defense, lock in and then play in transition, find offensive rebounds and just find a way to impact the game in multiple ways. And that’s what I did today.”
This past season, Prosper averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles. He held elite scorers in UConn’s Jordan Hawkins and Xavier’s Colby Jones to a combined 12 points on 1-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc in the Big East Tournament semifinals and final respectively.
One of Prosper’s most memorable moments came in Marquette’s 69-68 win over then-No. 16 Xavier at Fiserv Forum Feb. 15 when he attacked the rim and tipped in a second chance opportunity with 1.6 seconds remaining to lift the Golden Eagles past the Musketeers.
In senior writer for The Athletic Sam Vecenie’s latest mock draft, Prosper is projected to get picked No. 49 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony has Prosper getting drafted No. 56 by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Prosper will now wait to hear if his name is called on draft night, which is June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached [email protected] or on Twitter @JackAlbrightMU.
