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Mississippi State basketball's Josh Hubbard to test NBA Draft waters

State's top scorer is going to explore his options in the draft over the next few months.
ByAndrew Miller|
Mar 21, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard (12) passes the ball against the Baylor Bears during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard (12) passes the ball against the Baylor Bears during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

As the offseason gets fully underway for Mississippi State basketball, we're watching the Bulldog roster make its transition from the '24-'25 team to the eventual '25-'26 squad. The most important piece of the MSU roster announced his plans for his playing career going forward.

Josh Hubbard declares for 2025 NBA Draft while maintaining collegiate eligibility

On Tuesday, Bulldogs' sophomore guard Josh Hubbard announced that he is declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. The prolific shooter led Mississippi State with 18.9 PPG, earning 2nd Team All-SEC honors and winning the Bailey Howell Trophy.

The key phrase in Josh Hubbard's draft announcement is "while maintaining my college eligibility at Mississippi State." Hubbard is making it clear that if he does choose to return to college, it'll be in Starkville. Not that there was ever any concern that he'd go elsewhere. Despite other fanbases regularly suggesting they'll poach Hubbard from the MSU roster, he's been firmly locked-in as a Bulldog.

But for practically all players, the NBA is the ultimate goal, and if Hubbard can make it in the league, that will obviously be the route he chooses. He'll have until June 15 to make his final call on whether or not he'll remain in the draft or return to MSU. Between now and then, he'll go through the draft process to gauge his prospects for the next level.

Josh Hubbard is making the correct move by testing the NBA Draft waters

This was absolutely the right call by Josh Hubbard. While these "declaring for draft by staying eligible" announcements tend to always send fans into a frenzy with the anxiety that the player won't return, it's hard to envision a scenario in which this isn't the right move for a player with any prospects of playing at the next level.

Unlike in football where a draft declaration marks a definite end to one's collegiate career, basketball affords players the opportunity to go through the draft process, get evaluation from the league, and then make a final decision based on that newly-obtained information.

If Josh Hubbard hears that teams love his game and want to draft him early, then he'll remain in the draft and begin his NBA career. If they tell him his game needs some refinement before making it in the NBA becomes a high probability, then he can return to Mississippi State and keep getting better. It'd almost be foolish to not take advantage.

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