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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Two former Missouri men’s basketball players stand a solid chance of being selected in the NBA draft this week, with the possibility of three MU products joining the professional ranks.

Guards Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill, who each spent two seasons with the Tigers, could parlay key roles on last season’s NCAA Tournament team into draft spots. Guard John Tonje, who played a limited role in Mizzou’s 2023-24 due to injury before transferring to Wisconsin, could also be selected.

Of the three, Bates has the best chance of going off the board during the first round, which begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York. The first round will be televised on ESPN and ABC (KDNL, Channel 30 locally). The second round, taking place at 7 p.m. Thursday, will air on ESPN.

Bates was a popular invite to pre-draft workouts held at NBA team facilities.

“It’s been amazing, and it’s been a blessing, for sure,� Bates told reporters after one such workout with the Golden State Warriors. “Going from city to city, might be a little tired, a little sore, but I’ve been telling everybody the same thing: that these are great problems to have, just because this is a dream that myself and my peers and teammates (have) been trying to accomplish forever.�

Draft analysts are mixed on Bates’ pro potential. For a time, it seemed like he could slide into the back end of the first round. As of this week, however, a spot in the middle of the second round seems more likely.

Bates’ 6-foot-10 wingspan helps his stock, as does a very efficient pair of seasons at Mizzou that saw him nearly shoot 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the free-throw line.

Bates led all Division I players in free-throw percentage last season, converting 94.6% of his shots from the charity stripe and making every free throw he took in Missouri’s final 12 games of the campaign. That’s attractive to NBA teams: While 3-pointers become deeper and layups harder to manage in the pros, a free throw is a free throw at both the college and NBA levels.

Still, some analysts have concerns about Bates’ offensive versatility. The Athletic ranked him as the No. 54 prospect in this draft class with the following scouting report:

“Somehow, he only tried 8.5 3s per 100 possessions last season; I get that he’s better with his feet set and more comfortably attacking the paint in straight lines once he dribbles, but man, it feels like there is some money left on the table there. That said, Bates is also quite efficient inside the arc — 59.1 percent on 2s last season. He just can’t create off the dribble for himself or others.

“Bates has a 6-10 wingspan and had a high steal rate as a senior, helping offset some of his physical disadvantages at that end, but his calling card will be as an offensive player. There is some Isaiah Joe potential here if he can hunt 3s more efficiently, and he might still be undervalued.�

The reference to Joe, a guard on the NBA title-winning Oklahoma City Thunder, is a key model for the type of player Bates wants to be at the next level: an efficient shooter who can provide some defensive value. Other players in the “3 and D� category Bates said he’s modeling his game after include the San Antonio Spurs’ Devin Vassell and the Detroit Pistons’ Malik Beasley.

That’s a relatively similar mold to what Grill is chasing.

“The feedback I’ve got is to keep playing to my strengths and doing what I did at Mizzou this past season, and that’s shoot the ball at a very good level and then keep having high intensity on the defensive end and keep bringing toughness, is what I do,� he said after his workout with the Warriors.

Grill was a prolific 3-point shooter for much of his last season at Mizzou, a trait that could land him a spot in the NBA. His age — he’ll be 25 when the season starts — is a limiter, but a strong jumper is still a strong jumper.

According to ESPN’s big board, Grill is the No. 63 prospect in the draft class, which would position him on the bubble of being a late second-round pick or going undrafted.

Either way, he and Bates are likely to need to prove themselves during NBA Summer League to earn a two-way or permanent roster spot.

The same is true of Tonje, who projects as a mid-second round pick after enjoying a breakout season at Wisconsin.

The most recent MU player to be taken in the NBA draft was forward Kobe Brown, who was taken by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2023 event.