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Kentucky freshman Justin Edwards has declared for the NBA draft, he announced on his Instagram on Thursday.
The 6’8″ forward averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game for the Wildcats this season.
B/R Hoops @brhoops
Kentucky freshman Justin Edwards declares for the NBA draft 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hxA12r3FF1
Edwards was the No. 3 player in the Class of 2023 according to 247Sports, though his fellow freshmen Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard had the biggest impact for Kentucky this year, averaging 15.2 points and 12.5 points, respectively.
In Bleacher Report’s latest NBA mock draft, Edwards is the projected No. 44 pick, landing with the Miami Heat. While the draft order is far from being set, the Heat could be a good landing spot for Edwards given how the team has excelled at developing players like Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson and others in recent years.
While Edwards never emerged as a star during his one season with Kentucky, he showed promise at times, especially as a shooter. Per Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, Edwards shot 38.8 percent on catch-and-shoot shots, 38.1 percent on pull-ups and 77.6 percent from the stripe.
His playmaking skills could use some work—he averaged less than an assist per game—as could his defense, but he has NBA size and could be a productive player with the right team.
Edwards is one of several players the Wildcats will likely lose to the draft this year, as Dillingham and Sheppard are both projected top-10 picks in Bleacher Report’s mock draft. Kentucky will also lose Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell to graduation.
But as is the case with Kentucky just about every season, the Wildcats boast a stacked recruiting class. They have the No. 2 recruiting class for the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports, which includes the No. 8 player in the class, Jayden Quaintance.
Kentucky is far from the team it was a decade ago when it was a Final Four contender nearly every year. The Wildcats have been bounced from the tournament before the Sweet 16 the last three seasons and haven’t made it to the second weekend since the 2018-19 season. The Wildcats will lose some valuable players next season, but they’ll lean on a great recruiting class to try to return to glory.
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