Kentucky guard Keldon Johnson will enter his name in the 2019 NBA draft pool, he announced on Wednesday, per a press release from the school.
Jeff Goodman of Stadium tweets that he’d be “very, very surprised” if Johnson returns to the Wildcats for his sophomore season. However, the announcement from the program notes that the youngster will be able to hire an agent without having to make a final decision on his status until May 29.
“I’ve spent a lot of time over the last week thinking about what’s best for me and my future,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’ve sat down with my family and Coach Cal (John Calipari) and determined that testing the waters and getting information back from the NBA is the best thing for me at this time. My hope is to be a lottery pick. If I am, I plan on pursuing my dreams and staying in the draft, but I want to go through the process first and get the correct information.”
Johnson currently ranks as the No. 20 prospect on ESPN’s big board, with Jonathan Givony praising the 6’6″ forward’s physical tools, versatility, rebounding ability, and defense. Johnson is not yet a dynamic shooter and has had some conditioning issues, Givony notes.
Johnson will join fellow top-20 prospect P.J. Washington in this year’s draft pool. Kentucky’s third notable prospect, Tyler Herro, has yet to announce a decision regarding the draft.
Stud
Pretty raw. Good effort, good driving moves, but he has to learn to get secondary benefits on thwarted favorite attacks (assists, fouls drawn etc.) He cannot just part the seas like Zion.
His shot is too two-handed. He had a weak tournament… Can he rise with the level of competition?
I noticed they don’t run a lot of sets for him and he’s better at creating his own shot. He’s ok at spot up shooting which he’ll need to work on. Agree with x% he gives good effort, has a good skill set and is athletic. Needs to work on his shot and shooting off the dribble. I’m hoping he falls to BK at 27 but Cavs would take him at 26 if he was there.