First Trendon Watford, now Javonte Smart.
On Thursday, LSU junior guard Javonte Smart made it official, he was entering the 2021 NBA draft and hiring an agent. His time in Baton Rouge is officially over.
While this is unfortunate for LSU head coach Will Wade, it was certainly expected.
Smart released the following statement via his Instagram account:
“First I want to thank God for the many blessings upon me! To the LSU coaches, managers and my teammates (brothers), I thank you for an amazing three years,” Smart said.
“I, along with my family, have decided to enter the 2021 NBA Draft with an agent. Thank you all for the many prayers and support!”
Smart, a Baton Rouge native, was a four-star recruit in the 2018 class. He steadily improved in each of his three years with the Tigers, averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game in 2020-21.
The biggest area the 6-foot-4, 205-pound combo guard improved was his 3-point shooting. He shot 40.2% from beyond the arc last season, after entering his final season with the Tigers as a career 32% career 3-point shooter.
Smart will be a hot commodity at the next level due to his ability to play both guard spots. His improvement as an outside shooter, in addition to his ability as an on-ball defender, should allow him to play early in the NBA.