AJ Lawson’s father refutes report his son is withdrawing name from NBA draft
South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin said he expected top scorer A.J. Lawson back on campus at the end of June. And a report from CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein made it appear the talented rising junior was fully headed back to USC and out of the NBA Draft.
But on Tuesday morning, Lawson’s father told The State the report was “not accurate” and the family never spoke to anyone about his decision. The younger Lawson has until Aug. 3 or 10 days after the NBA draft combine, whichever comes first, to decide if he will remain in the draft.
His sophomore season was cut short when the coronavirus pandemic ended college basketball early in the final week of conference tournament season. It has also turned the draft process on its head, preventing a range of predraft events from happening.
At one point, Lawson was considered a potential 2021 top-50 pick, but that was before a 2019-20 season in which he ceded point guard duties to Jermaine Couisnard and settled into a different sort of role.
For the season, Lawson averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1. steals. He shot 41.4% from the field and 33.9% from 3, while connecting on 72.4% on free throws.
At 6-foot-6, 178 pounds, he had the build of a long perimeter player and was at times a plus-ball handler and solid shooter.
He was not projected to be drafted, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
His return means South Carolina will only lose one rotation player off last year’s squad and will have five scholarship upperclassmen. Lawson, Couisnard and the pairing of Justin Minaya and Keyshawn Bryant all project as likely starters, with the team needing to replace Maik Kotsar and shore up its consistency from the other big men.
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 11:53 PM.
