Tag: AJ Lawson

Iowa DB AJ Lawson enters NCAA transfer portal

Iowa DB AJ Lawson has entered the transfer portal.

Just before the spring transfer portal window closed, there’s another name to add on the outgoing list for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa defensive back AJ Lawson announced that he is entering the transfer portal. Lawson did not see any game action over the course of his four seasons in Iowa City.

“First, I’d like to express how thankful I am for every teammate, coach, trainer, and University of Iowa athletics personnel staff member that has helped me grow over the past four years.

“After talking with family and friends, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility. I am excited for the future and open to all opportunities,” Lawson wrote on X.

Lawson arrived in Iowa City as a three-star signee per 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN.

247Sports rated Lawson as the No. 90 cornerback and the No. 18 player from Illinois in the 2020 signing class. Rivals ranked Lawson as the nation’s No. 49 safety and as the No. 17 player from Illinois.

Lastly, ESPN regarded Lawson as the No. 218 wide receiver and as the No. 25 player from Illinois.

The 6-foot, 193 pound defensive back from Decatur, Ill., came to the Hawkeyes from MacArthur High School and chose Iowa over offers from Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Illinois State, Kent State, Minnesota, Toledo and Western Michigan.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.

Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF

Report: Hawks to sign AJ Lawson to training camp contract

The former South Carolina guard averaged 4.5 points, four rebounds and 1.8 assists in summer league with the Hawks.

Former South Carolina Gamecocks guard AJ Lawson will reportedly be signing a training camp contract with the Atlanta Hawks, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Lawson, who went undrafted this year, played two games with the Miami Heat in the California Classic before joining the Hawks for the Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged 4.5 points, four rebounds and 1.8 assists in four games with the Hawks.

The thought is Lawson will appear with the Hawks in training camp and then be cut and eventually funneled to their NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, where he will spend the season.

Lawson will now have the opportunity to develop in the NBA G League this season with the Skyhawks. He worked extensively on his playmaking ability last season at South Carolina and spent much of the pre-draft process improving his shot from all over the floor.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=37050,36074,36553]

[mm-video type=video id=01fdfre7fp4454977w4t playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fdfre7fp4454977w4t/01fdfre7fp4454977w4t-3a30e1b6d07817e81c45c26a4b86ec27.jpg]

[listicle id=35431]

Live tracker: Here is where the top undrafted free agents have signed

The 2021 NBA draft has come and gone but the draft cycle still continues for a bit longer as the undrafted free agents find their new homes.

The 2021 NBA draft has come and gone but the draft cycle still continues for a bit longer as the undrafted free agents find their new homes.

While the following prospects didn’t get to hear their name called by the commissioner or deputy commissioner on Thursday night, they can find solace in the fact that their path to the pros is far from over. It’s not unheard of for an undrafted free agent to carve out a role for themselves in the NBA.

Some notable names, including Gonzaga’s Joel Ayayi and G League Ignite’s Daishen Nix, will join the fraternity of undrafted basketball players who hope to still make a name for themselves in the NBA.

Here is where the best remaining prospects have landed so far, according to reports:

A roundup of NBA sleepers draft analysts are higher on than others

Who owns the most real estate on Davion Mitchell Island? Who is buying stock in Sharife Cooper?

Everyone loves Cade Cunningham. It’s not a hot take for an analyst to say that Cunningham is their favorite player in the class. That’s not particularly interesting to read, either.

But what is fascinating, however, is when an analyst deviates from the norm and ranks someone significantly higher than where the prospect falls in other rankings. What does that tell us about their individual scouting process and what they value? Further, what does that tell us about the potential draftee?

Some folks call it “buying stock” in a player. Others, like ESPN’s Zach Lowe or The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, call it owning real estate on a player’s island. I like to refer to it as a “draft crush” when I wind up higher than consensus in my evaluation of a player.

My process is ridiculously tedious but the results can be fairly useful. I’ve tracked the evolution of more than sixty unique mock drafts, big boards and draft models from trusted analysts and popular accounts on Twitter.

Each placement is assigned a value based on Kevin Pelton’s draft pick trade value chart. I do this because, as Pelton notes, the difference in relative value between the No. 5 overall pick and the No. 7 overall is much more stark than, say, that of the No. 45 pick and the No. 47 pick.

After composing an aggregate score based on each ranking, I can see where each analyst strays from the pack.

I’ll leave the conclusions drawn from these results up to the reader. But if nothing else, this can eventually be used as a bragging point if one writer was higher than consensus on a draftee who eventually ends up outperforming his draft position.

AJ Lawson: ‘Once I get that opportunity, I’m ready to shock the world’

Rookie Wire recently caught up with Lawson to discuss the pre-draft process, what he is looking to show NBA teams and much more.

AJ Lawson turned in a strong junior campaign last season but the South Carolina Gamecocks guard wasn’t among those prospects invited to compete in the NBA G League Elite Camp or draft combine.

Despite getting snubbed, Lawson stayed ready for his next opportunity to showcase his skillset on the court.

Lawson was named to the All-SEC second team last season after averaging 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 assists in 21 games. He produced a career-high 30 points in a 78-54 win over Texas A&M on Jan. 6 for his first 30-point game.

He eventually earned a trip to the G League Elite Camp after a spot opened up. The last-minute invitation enabled Lawson to perform in front of team executives and scouts, and the 6-foot-6 guard emerged as one of the top performers.

Lawson averaged 12.5 points and eight rebounds during two scrimmage games. He also registered a 41-inch max vertical, which ranked second-highest among all participants.

The performance earned Lawson an invitation to compete in the draft combine.

Once again, Lawson was among the standouts at the draft combine. During one scrimmage, Lawson registered 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. His name has since climbed up draft boards after a strong showing in Chicago.

With just two days left until the draft, Lawson is hoping that work will result in hearing his name called on Thursday. Rookie Wire recently caught up with Lawson to discuss the pre-draft process, what he is looking to showcase and much more.

Please note this interview was minorly edited in its transcript for clarity

AJ Lawson: ‘Once I get that opportunity, I’m ready to shock the world’

Rookie Wire recently caught up with Lawson to discuss the pre-draft process, what he is looking to show NBA teams and much more.

AJ Lawson turned in a strong junior campaign last season but the South Carolina Gamecocks guard wasn’t among those prospects invited to compete in the NBA G League Elite Camp or draft combine.

Despite getting snubbed, Lawson stayed ready for his next opportunity to showcase his skillset on the court.

Lawson was named to the All-SEC second team last season after averaging 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 assists in 21 games. He produced a career-high 30 points in a 78-54 win over Texas A&M on Jan. 6 for his first 30-point game.

He eventually earned a trip to the G League Elite Camp after a spot opened up. The last-minute invitation enabled Lawson to perform in front of team executives and scouts, and the 6-foot-6 guard emerged as one of the top performers.

Lawson averaged 12.5 points and eight rebounds during two scrimmage games. He also registered a 41-inch max vertical, which ranked second-highest among all participants.

The performance earned Lawson an invitation to compete in the draft combine.

Once again, Lawson was among the standouts in front of teams. During one scrimmage, Lawson recorded 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. His name has since climbed up draft boards after a strong showing in Chicago.

With just two days left until the draft, Lawson is hoping that work will result in hearing his name called on Thursday. Rookie Wire recently caught up with Lawson to discuss the pre-draft process, what he is looking to showcase and much more.

Please note this interview was minorly edited in its transcript for clarity

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 7.0: Ranking the full class of prospects

The 2021 NBA draft is less than a week away and we finally have an idea of who is in — and who has withdrawn — from the class.

The 2021 NBA draft is less than a week away and we finally have an idea of who is in – and who has withdrawn – from the class.

In order to get a better sense of where all of the prospects stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Yahoo, The Athletic, The Ringer, Yahoo, NBA Big Board and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion.

Since our previous update last month, some of the players with the most positive momentum include Quentin Grimes, Joe Wieskamp, Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Aaron Wiggins, Justin Champagnie, Jericho Sims, Jason Preston, Josh Primo, Neemias Queta, Trey Murphy and Bones Hyland.

Among players who ranked on our previous update who have since withdrawn from the draft include Roko Prkacin (32), Marcus Bagley (39), Terrence Shannon (48), Ariel Hukporti (50), Max Abmas (53), Johnny Juzang (54), Jordan Hall (66), Carlos Alocen (69) and Ochai Agbaji (75).

The most notable omissions who remain in this class but not these rankings are Yves Pons, Scottie Lewis, Jay Huff, Marcus Zegarowski, Aamir Simms, Dalano Banton, Matt Mitchell, Jose Alvarado, Carlik Jones, Derrick Alston Jr., Romeo Weems, Balsa Koprivica, Chaundee Brown, Isaiah Miller, Jordan Schakel and D.J. Carton.

Note that for the offensive roles, we borrowed a fun idea from Todd Whitehead (formerly of Nylon Calculus) with help from our friends at Bball-Index.com to create a slightly tweaked formula from the version they use.

The goal of that is not to explain how well a player scores but rather offer context for the way that he was used on his most recent team. This should help you predict how he might be used at the next level.

Meanwhile, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final rankings of the Top 100 prospects

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year! 

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year!

That means that after a slew of surprising early entry withdrawals impacted the worlds of both college and international basketball, the next generation of NBA talent is getting closer to entering the league. As players finalize their place on big boards in front offices, I wanted to offer my opinion on how I think those rankings should look.

Note that our list is certainly going to look different from the lists at ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report and other publications. Player evaluation is an inexact science. Part of the process is being willing to admit when you were wrong about a player.

But avoiding group-think and ending higher than consensus on a player is how an NBA team ends up selecting them in the draft. With that in mind, here is who I would target if I were running a front office.

AJ Lawson invited to NBA draft combine after strong Elite Camp showing

Lawson registered a 41-inch vertical jump, which ranked second among all participants at the NBA G League Elite Camp.

South Carolina guard AJ Lawson has reportedly been invited to participate in the NBA draft combine after a strong showing in the G League Elite Camp, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Lawson was among 40 prospects to attend the G League Elite Camp over the weekend in Chicago, Illinois. He averaged 12.5 points and eight rebounds on 42.1% shooting from the field, including 36.3% from 3-point range, in two scrimmage games.

He registered a 41-inch vertical jump, which ranked second among all participants.

The 6-foot-6 guard emerged as one of the standouts and will now have the opportunity to further showcase his game against the top prospects in the combine. He used his blend of athleticism and energy throughout the weekend and had some highlight-worthy moments.

Lawson was named to the All-SEC Second Team last season after averaging 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 assists in 21 games. He announced in April that he would sign with an agent and declare for the NBA draft.

This year marks the second time the G League Elite Camp was held in its revamped format after first launching in 2019. Overall, 11 players were invited to the combine from the G League Elite Camp in 2019 and five were eventually drafted.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=33696,33674,33098]

[listicle id=33250]

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 2.0: How has the NCAA season changed rankings?

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Former top recruits like Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs have made a great first impression and have confirmed why many already feel they are going to be solid future professionals in the NBA.

Of course, considering the unusual nature of the college basketball season, some players are struggling a bit more than others. The performance on the court will likely stray closer to the mean with a larger sample size as the year continues.

But to get a better sense of where everyone stands right now, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, The Athletic and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

We highlighted the prospects who have been the biggest risers since we published our last edition of this exercise.

College basketball standouts who have most drastically improved their draft stock through the early parts of the season include Keon Johnson (Tennessee), James Bouknight (UCONN), Jared Butler (Baylor), Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Day’Ron Sharpe (UNC), Aaron Henry (Michigan State), Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois), Marcus Bagley (Arizona State), Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky), Jason Preston (Ohio) and Luka Garza (Iowa).

Below are the rankings based on the latest mock drafts from top analysts and experts:

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report