AJ Lawson makes NBA decision official, ending his Gamecocks career

After testing the waters each of the last two offseasons, South Carolina junior guard A.J. Lawson has declared for the NBA draft and signed with an agent, ending his Gamecocks career.

A 6-foot-6, 177-pound guard from Brampton, Ontario, Lawson is coming off the best statistical season of his USC career.

He led the Gamecocks and finished fifth in the Southeastern Conference with 16.6 points per game and led the league with 2.8 3-pointers per game. An improving defender, Lawson ranked ninth with 1.52 steals per contest.

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 this 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.

And while USC dealt with three separate COVID-19 shutdowns and struggled to field a full lineup throughout the season, Lawson started every game and was the team’s most consistent scorer.

“I feel like each year I’ve grown more and more,” Lawson said at the end of the year. “This year I’ve grown (a lot); we had to go through so much. Every Division I athlete who’s been through this COVID season — it’s hard. I feel like me sticking to the grind every day, trying to get better and still learning, I feel like that just shows how much I care for this game and how much I love it. It was hard, but I’ve been through it, lived through it.”

Because Lawson has entered the NBA draft process each of the last two offseasons without signing an agent, the 20-year-old guard won’t have the option to return to South Carolina.

Lawson currently sits outside both The Athletic’s and ESPN’s top 100 prospects lists, but with the NBA draft not until July 29, he has time to improve his stock. His length at the guard position and his 3-point acumen fit the mold of the modern NBA guard.