NBL rookie sensation Nathan Jawai faces a critical moment in his basketball future today when he learns his fate in the NBA Draft.

Nicknamed "Baby Shaq", the indigenous 208-centimetre, 21-year-old Boomers squad member could to join another Australian centre, Andrew Bogut, in the world's best league.

But it is no certainty, with draft experts tipping Jawai to be either a late first-round or early second-round selection.

The difference is crucial to his prospects, as only those inside the top 30 picks are guaranteed a three-year NBA contract. For those taken in the second round, they have to make their way through training camps to earn a spot on their team's roster, with no assurance they will play an NBA game.

It means that if Jawai misses out on a first-round spot, he could potentially be back with the Cairns Taipans in the NBL next season rather than plying his trade in the US.

Various mock drafts have Jawai - the NBL rookie of the year and the most valuable player in the league's All-Star game - tipped to go anywhere from the Seattle Sonics, at pick 24, to the Milwaukee Bucks, at pick 37. It is uncertain what effect a recent thigh injury, which prevented him from conducting pre-draft workouts with several clubs, will have on his status.

Two other Australians, Aleks Maric and Aaron Bruce, are tipped to be in with a chance of being picked up late in the second round.

Maric, a 23-year-old, 211-centimetre centre from Sydney, has spent four years playing college basketball with the University of Nebraska.

Bruce, a 23-year-old, 193-centimetre guard from Victoria, has been playing for Baylor University in Texas.

AAP