He was NBA-bound, then 'fell off the face of the earth.' Could Hornets take a chance?

This isn’t the path Billy Preston had planned.

Not at all, actually. Someone with Preston’s pedigree — a McDonald’s All-America pick and consensus five-star college basketball recruit for Kansas — usually just follows the same tried-and-true route to the NBA.

Pick a school, play one year to satisfy professional eligibility concerns, and then bolt for the pros (typically to become a first-round pick).

But not Billy Preston.

He picked a school, sure, opting for a perennial powerhouse in Kansas ... he just never played for them.

After being involved in a single-car accident before Kansas’ second game of the 2017-2018 season (he was also suspended for the season-opener for missing curfew and class), Preston became the target of an NCAA investigation surrounding the financials of his car. Preston, who was expected to start for a Jayhawks team that ultimately made the Final Four, instead lingered on the bench, awaiting the clearance to play.

It never came.

So in January, the 20-year-old Preston made a choice that months earlier would have been unthinkable: to leave Kansas without ever playing a game, and move overseas to play professionally in Bosnia. There he’d train for the NBA Draft ... only that also didn’t go according to plan.

Preston played just three games in Bosnia before injuring his shoulder and returning to the United States. He still earned an NBA combine invitation, only to not participate on the guidance of his agent. Meaning ...

“Nobody’s seen me since I left Kansas and went overseas,” Preston said Sunday after working out for the Charlotte Hornets. “This is the first actual time teams got to see how I am as a person, what I do on the court and off the court.”

Sunday’s workout was Preston’s 14th so far, with another scheduled in Brooklyn for later this week — or in other words, half the NBA.

Clearly there were a few questions.

“When I left Kansas, it was basically like I fell off the map. Like I fell off the face of the earth, kind of,” Preston said. “Nobody’s seen me, so I can understand why I’ve got that ‘mystery’ label on me.

“But like I said, I’ve gotten the opportunity to get in front of 15 teams, show them what I can do, and that’s all I can do.”

And what exactly is it that Preston shows these teams?

Start with his body, a lean 240 pounds packed onto his 6-foot-10 frame. A natural power forward, Preston’s shooting still leaves something to be desired, but his offensive game in the interior and mid-range is NBA-caliber. He has a decent dribble for someone his size, which allows him to create offense off drives to the basket. His upside primarily lies in his scoring for now, but at 20 years old, there’s still plenty of room for growth.

That’s just on the court, too. Off it, Preston had to answer questions about his maturity and his character and his readiness to become a professional athlete. But in that regard, his unconventional path may have actually helped him.

“It was a learning experience for me,” Preston said. “Prior to any of that happening, I was a McDonald’s All-American, going to Kansas. ... I didn’t know what real work was. My path was kind of set for me, so I didn’t really picture any of this happening to me.

“Now that it did, it made me look at things in a different light and just made me more humble as a person.”

Preston today is, by his own assessment, a different person than when he arrived at Kansas almost a year ago. That much is evident when speaking to him. He is forthcoming about the obstacles he’s faced, and how he’s dealt with them, and how they’ve made him a better basketball player and person.

“If I could do it over again, I would,” Preston said. “I’d not go overseas at all. Just play college basketball. I think I’d probably be in a whole different position and light right now if I did play college basketball.

“That’s not me saying I regret anything that happened. I’m actually glad whatever happened took place, because I did nothing but learn from it, and became a better person and a better man. It made me put a chip on my shoulder where now, every time I step on the court, I go 110 percent.

“I don’t take the work ethic and the game for granted.”

Preston is currently projected to go either undrafted or in the second round by most NBA mock drafts, this just a year after he was trending towards being a first-rounder. The Hornets’ No. 11 overall pick is almost certainly too early to select Preston, but with its other, No. 55, he could be worth taking a flier. Given the Hornets’ bench woes last season, primarily a lack of consistent scoring from the second unit, there are worse picks to make that late than a young, raw big man with a knack for getting buckets.

At this point, there isn’t long left before Preston’s whirlwind journey to the NBA finally ends. As for whatever team selects him on Thursday, if one does at all, Preston isn’t picky.

He knows he’s fortunate to still have an NBA chance at all.

“That was the main thing for me,” Preston said. “Just getting in front of these teams and showing them what type of player and person I can be. Just showing them that I can bring a lot of versatility to any organization that drafts me.

“It’s been fun, and it’s been tiring, but I’m grateful for it all.”

This story was originally published June 18, 2018 at 6:55 AM with the headline "He was NBA-bound, then 'fell off the face of the earth.' Could Hornets take a chance?."