I agree. If Kevin Ollie could make it in the NBA, Tristen who's a much better scorer can.
He steadily improved his game all year, peaking in the championship game, so he's still on the steep part of his learning curve. Now that he's had a year learning how to fit in with strong teammates, he's ready for an eye-opening year at UConn and then the NBA. Getting the NBA feedback now and having a year to fix and rebut criticisms under Hurley's tutelage will help his standings immensely. It proves coachability and ability to keep improving.
KO had intangibles that many players didn't, the strongest was his floor vision and IQ. Newton doesn't come close to KO in that respect.
Newton and AJax are very smart in keeping the return to school option open. I feel/hope they are doing this as a "testing the waters" and seeking no BS assessments from the NBA people.
To be honest, I don't see either as a 1st rounder in 2023 - AJax maybe a very low 1st rounder on a team that will use him as a project rather than a foreign player purely based on his athleticism. Newton is in that area of being vanilla for the NBA - there are a lot like him out there. Jim Calhoun can get them both a place to play overseas if they want to make some decent cash.
I'm happy that UConn is again sending people into the pro ranks - it's very important for this program to do so consistently and with kids who have their heads screwed on in the proper direction. I would not be surprised at all if we see both AJax and Newton wearing a UConn uniform next season. Best wishes to all these hopefuls.