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A few days after news broke of Daniel Hamilton declaring for the NBA Draft, UConn teammate Amida Brimah has done the same, according to Yahoo Sports' The Vertical.
Like Hamilton, Brimah will not sign with an agent and will still have the opportunity to return to UConn next year.
Brimah is an intriguing prospect. At 7 feet tall and quite athletic, he has some of the tangible traits which NBA scouts look for. His shot-blocking ability will certainly be attractive, as will his potential since he hasn't been playing organized basketball for very long. Though he certainly needs to add some strength and polish to his game—especially on the offensive end—he may as well take advantage of the opportunity to test the NBA Draft waters.
After averaging 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore, Brimah took a bit of a step back (6.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg) in his junior season. He missed a chunk of the season due to injury, but it doesn't really excuse his lack of production relative to his size, athletic skills, and previous performance.
While it may seem at first glance that Brimah has a lot to work on, he may also have a decent case of getting drafted. He's 22 years old, and his biggest areas for improvement are strength and 'basketball IQ'— two areas where professional development programs can explicitly be very helpful.
Additionally, for all we know, Brimah may be interested in making some money for playing basketball, and may not need a first round guarantee to sign with an agent and either go to the D-League or play overseas.
Obviously, UConn fans want to see Brimah back in Husky blue next year. But just because he won't be a top-15 pick doesn't mean he should stay in college. He'll have plenty of opportunities to develop in other leagues while also earning money, and there's nothing wrong with that.