Sergey Karasev raised eyebrows by returning to Russia before going through a gauntlet of pre-draft workouts, but his agent told Draft Express on Monday that the swingman will remain in the 2013 draft.
Just 19 years old, Karasev never appeared to waver in coming out for the draft, but the Russian small forward returned to Moscow in early June, leading many to believe that he received a first-round guarantee. RealGM reported that Karasev remained open to interviewing with NBA executives representing teams from the No. 9 pick to the No. 22 pick but would not conduct any workouts for teams.
The 6'7, 200-pound forward projects well in the NBA as an accurate shooter and playmaker despite his athletic limitations. The youngster's basketball smarts earned him a spot on the Russian national team that competed at the London Olympics.
NBA teams got a good amount of scouting Karasev when he played for the World Select squad at the Nike Hoops Summit in April. And even though he hasn't gone through individual workouts, Karasev is still drawing enough interest to keep his name in the draft.
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