It’s official: AJ Lawson will suit up for the Gamecocks this season
After testing the NBA Draft waters, star South Carolina guard A.J. Lawson has decided to return to the Gamecocks for his junior season.
“I’m happy to announce that I am withdrawing my name from the NBA Draft and returning to school for my junior season as a Gamecock!” Lawson tweeted Wednesday. “I want to thank all of the teams that gave me the opportunity to speak with them over the last couple of months, and I’m excited to be back in Columbia and ready to get to work for the season ahead!”
The dynamic wing declared for the draft in late April after he led the Gamecocks with 13.4 points per game during the abbreviated season. Once considered a Top 50 NBA prospect, Lawson didn’t have the kind of sophomore season draft evaluators expected, leaving him off of most experts’ big boards. Lawson declared for the draft without hiring an agent, and he withdrew from the process for the second straight year.
Though Lawson led USC scoring, he lacked consistency from the perimeter, shooting 33.9% beyond the arc compared to 41.4% from the field. He lost his point guard role to redshirt freshman Jermaine Couisnard by midseason.
In April, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony told The State that the 6-foot-6, 178-pound Lawson needed to add strength to his lanky frame and that the 19-year-old still had room to grow as a shooter.
“He’s got long arms; he’s pretty versatile,” Givony said. “He’s a good shooter. He didn’t shoot the ball incredibly this year, but he’s definitely a shot maker. And I think he’s shown in other settings that versatility that people like about him.
“I just think that physically, he hasn’t made the jump yet. And that lack of strength still affects him in a lot of ways. And that’s probably what’s going to be decisive in him making the next step with his development.”
With Lawson back in the fold, Frank Martin’s backcourt has the look of an explosive group. Both Lawson and Couisnard will be expected to take leaps forward after they finished first and second, respectively, in scoring for the Gamecocks last season. The addition of veteran guard Seventh Woods, who sat out last season after transferring from North Carolina, should add competition for minutes.
Martin also announced Wednesday that the Gamecocks would be adding guard Ford Cooper Jr., a transfer from Missouri State, to the roster. Cooper averaged 1.2 assists per game as a freshman last season.
Student-athletes have up until Aug. 3 to withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft, which is scheduled to take place Oct. 16. Lawson reported to campus with the rest of the USC basketball team on July 20, and his withdrawal does not come as a surprise. New assistant coach Will Bailey, who specializes in coaching guards, had said shortly after arriving to campus that he was excited to coach Lawson this season.
“I think that A.J. Lawson is a dynamic wing scorer, can really score the ball, just watching film on him,” Bailey said. “And he’s really good in the open court. He got better as the season went on as far as shooting the ball late in the year.”
Lawson posted 23 double-digit scoring performances as a sophomore, including six 20-point games. He enters his junior season just 196 points away from 1,000 for his career.
“I’m so excited to get the opportunity to coach A.J. Lawson for another year,” Martin said in an official team release. “His growth over the last two years has been tremendous, and who he is as a teammate along with his talent will continue to help our team achieve great things.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:04 PM.
