Ole Miss Basketball's Sebastian Saiz prepares for 2017 NBA Draft; Pro Career

Sebastian Saiz may never again suit up in a Rebel uniform, but his playing days are far from over. The former Ole Miss forward is now getting ready for the 2017 NBA Draft, and hopes that playing his natural position, power forward, impresses scouts enough to make him one of the 60 names called on draft night.

In fact, one NBA scout even told Saiz that he could be playing a bit of Small Forward at the next level. A large change for a guy that had to play as an undersized center for the majority of his college career.

Ole Miss' Sebastian Saiz (11) defends Tennessee's Lew Evans (21)
in January's matchup. (Bruce Newman/Oxford Eagle) 

Saiz leaves Ole Miss with plenty of hardware, as well as fanfare. The 2017 Howell Trophy winner finished his Rebel career with 1273 points, 1008 rebounds, and 128 blocks. His performance in the 2016-17 season earned him first team all-SEC honors, and his rebounding numbers rivaled those of Anthony Davis and Shaquille O'Neal.

.@sebassaiz closes his record-breaking season with some impressive company. One of the best to ever wear a Rebel uniform! #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/6v1wEsqLWv

— Ole Miss Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 22, 2017

Saiz also participated in the 2017 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an event for seniors that are borderline NBA prospects that is attended by both NBA and European scouts. Saiz impressed in Portsmouth, averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds en route to a Portsmouth Invitational Championship, as well as a PIT All-Tournament team selection.

Portsmouth Invitation Tournament Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KWr3eKUP30

— sebastian saiz (@sebassaiz) April 16, 2017

Despite a lack of elite athleticism, Saiz has length. In fact, he has the third longest wingspan of all 2017 NBA draft prospects. This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that's watched Ole Miss basketball over the past four years.

The analyst calling the Auburn/Ole Miss game has mentioned Sebastian Saiz length literally 15 times. #SEC

— Tony Patelis (@CollegeHoopNews) January 8, 2017

All that being said, Saiz may have to wait until the NBA Summer League to prove his worth at the game's highest level. DraftExpress currently has him as the 65th ranked Senior, and is absent from the overall prospect list. Whether or not Saiz' name is called on draft night remains a mystery, but one thing is certain: Sebastian Saiz has plenty of basketball left to play.