South Carolina basketball: AJ Lawson NBA draft outlook

South Carolina basketball star hoping to hear his name called.

The 2021 edition of the NBA Draft will get underway this week, with the event set to begin on Thursday night. One former Gamecock is hoping to hear his name called and become the first player from the program to be selected since Sindarius Thornwell back in 2017.

AJ Lawson entered the ’21 NBA Draft class following his junior season in Columbia. The guard led his squad in scoring for a second consecutive campaign, posting a mark of 16.6 points per contest. He added 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game to earn all-conference honors in his third year with the Gamecocks.

Now, he has his sights set on a professional career, and with the NBA Draft quickly approaching, he’s hoping that his offseason preparations pay off with a draft selection. So far, he’s had an opportunity to try out individually for the Spurs, Celtics, Pacers, Hornets, Kings, Nets, Hawks, Jazz, Magic, Cavaliers, and Raptors.

Lawson also had a chance to participate in the Summer’s G-League Camp, where he excelled as one of the event’s best overall players. He then saw his stock rise even further following the NBA Combine, as he turned heads with his sharp shooting abilities.

The offseason performances have boost Lawson’s name into a few mock drafts, where he projects as a mid-to-late second round pick. Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated’s NBA team had this to say about the former Gamecock late last month.

"Give Lawson a lot of credit… (h)e was one of the more active, driven players in Chicago this week and has revitalized his draft stock, with a strong chance of being drafted in the second round… He’s trending in a good direction with a month to go until the draft.Once viewed as a ball-dominant, playmaking wing, Lawson has reinvented himself as a high-energy complementary player, earning positive reviews for his defense and activity level, and looking extremely explosive in game situations… (H)e’s working himself into the 31–45 range."

Now, Woo has taken things a step further, predicting the talented guard to be taken off the board with the 49th overall selection. He sees the Nets taking a chance on Lawson midway through the second round as the organization looks to add athletic depth at the wing position. It goes to show that the work put in during the Summer is beginning to pay off for a player that ended last year with little draft buzz.

The South Carolina basketball program is beginning to see a larger NBA presence with Thornwell, PJ Dozier, and Chris Silva all making professional rosters. Lawson is hoping for the opportunity to join them on the floor, and Thursday night’s draft could be the first step.

Stay tuned to Garnet and Cocky for all of your South Carolina basketball news ahead of the 2021-22 season.