6-foot-10 Latvian shot-blocking machine Ilja Gromovs to declare for NBA draft

According to a report from DraftExpress, Latvian shot-blocking machine Ilja Gromovs will declare for the NBA draft. DraftExpress was informed by the agent for the 6-foot-10 19-year-old.

Gromovs is a relative unknown in North America, and his declaration comes as a minor surprise - ESPN doesn't even have a draft page for him yet, despite their rankings going well past the top-100. DraftExpress, meanwhile, didn't have Gromovs mocked for this year's draft but ranked him 42nd among international prospects.

If you learn nothing else about him, though, learn that he can swat a shot.

In 35 games this season across four teams in Latvia and the Baltic League, Grovos has averaged 6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in just 15.4 minutes while shooting 64.6 percent from the floor.

The idea here from Grovos' camp is obvious: have him enter the draft, and if a team decides to use a second-round pick on him as a draft-and-stash, great, and if not, he'll be free to sign in the NBA if and when teams deem him ready.