Underdog no more: AJ Lawson earns NBA Combine invite after strong camp showing

Michael Lananna
·2 min read

A.J. Lawson has done this sort of thing before.

A native of Brampton, Ontario, Lawson was a late bloomer in high school — always overlooked and counted out. One year, as a teenager, he played in a Canadian prep showcase event and didn’t make the all-star team. Determined, Lawson came back the very next year, made the all-star team and won MVP.

Similarly, the former South Carolina guard wasn’t among the initial list of 69 prospects invited to this week’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. But Lawson still found a way to get in the building.

Coming off a strong showing at the NBA G League Elite Camp over the weekend in Chicago, Lawson earned an invitation to the NBA Draft Combine late Monday night.

First reported by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com and ESPN, Lawson confirmed the news on Twitter.

The 6-foot-6 guard was among 40 players invited to the G League camp for an opportunity to play in front of G League and NBA scouts. Lawson helped lead his team to victory in the first game he played, scoring 11 points while pulling down nine rebounds in his team-leading 24 minutes on the court. In his next game, Lawson put up a team-high 14 points, along with seven rebounds.

Lawson also ranked second in the camp with a 41-inch vertical, showcasing his leaping ability and athleticism and helping earn him an invitation to the combine.

Lawson declared for the NBA Draft and signed with an agent after a career-best junior season in 2020-21 in which Lawson led the Gamecocks with 16.6 points per game.

Though Lawson wasn’t projected to be drafted in early mock drafts, his stock appears on the rise, and he’ll have the chance to open more eyes at the combine. He’s proven people wrong in the past.

“Just growing up people didn’t think I was the most talented. I was a late bloomer, my mom would say,” Lawson told The State in April. “I didn’t get that growth spurt. I didn’t start dunking until grade 10. Some people started in middle school.

“... Just the journey I’ve been through, I feel like I’m like always the underdog. Like that’s kind of how I play, having the underdog mentality, always trying to prove something. I always have high goals for myself.”