Former Gamecocks guard A.J. Lawson latches on with new NBA team
Former South Carolina basketball guard A.J. Lawson has signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks and earned an invite to training camp, according to a report by spotrac.com.
The 6-foot-6 Lawson went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft but signed with the Miami Heat shortly after the draft ended. On Aug. 10, Lawson left the Heat’s Summer League team to join the Hawks’ summer team.
It appears Lawson will stick with the Hawks, at least for the time being, after signing a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract that serves as a training camp invitation. Under Exhibit 10 rules, the Hawks will have the option to convert Lawson’s contract to a two-way deal before the regular season.
Coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 16.6 points per game, the athletic 6-foot-6 Lawson stacked up favorably among guards at the NBA Combine, ranking fourth in both max vertical leap and standing vertical and second in the shuttle run. Before the draft, Lawson worked his way into ESPN’s top 100 prospects list, sitting at No. 74 on draft night.
Though Lawson’s time in Columbia didn’t include an NCAA tournament run, his legacy at South Carolina is secure. Lawson became the 47th Gamecock to score 1,000 career points last season, finishing his career with 1,153 points on 40.7% shooting from the field. He ranks eighth in program history with 164 3-pointers.
