AJ Lawson's officially made his NBA decision for next season.

The sophomore guard announced his intentions to enter the NBA draft but is keeping his options with the possibility he could return for his junior season at South Carolina, a school spokesperson confirmed to GamecockCentral.

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He will not hire an agent, which means he's able to maintain his eligibility for his final two years of eligibility.

As of right now, he'll have until June 15 at 5 p.m. to withdraw from the draft pool. If he does, he's able to come back to school; if he doesn't, then he'll have to play professionally and can't return for his third year in Columbia.



The NBA combine is currently scheduled for the end of May but that is up in the air currently with COVID-19 putting a stop to a lot of different things currently.

Lawson entered this season as a projected first round pick and after an up-and-down sophomore year, fell out of most mock drafts by the end of the year.

Also see: Jahvaree Ritzie breaks down top five, South Carolina interest

He averaged 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists this year while shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three and 72.4 percent from the free throw line.

If he ultimately leaves, the Gamecocks would be losing their third leading scorer in SEC play and one of the best guards on the team.

If does return for his junior season, it would mean adding back a veteran presence and a scoring threat from all three levels to a team set to return almost every key piece from last year's team.

The Gamecocks finished .500 or better for the sixth straight year and were a top six team in the SEC for the fourth time in five years.

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They finished 18-13 and 10-8 in the SEC before the season was abruptly cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

