Kentucky’s PJ Washington will ‘test the waters’ for NBA Draft, but not hire an agent
Kentucky freshman forward PJ Washington announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he has decided to “test the waters” and declare for the NBA Draft without hiring an agent.
“After meeting with Coach Cal and talking through my situation, I am going to test the waters and see where I stand after my freshman year,” Washington said in his Twitter post. “I want the fans to know that I love school, I love this program and I love Kentucky. I’m not in a hurry to make any type of decision but Coach believes I should evaluate where I am right now.”
— PJ Washington (@PJWashington) April 3, 2018
Washington averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Cats this season. He led the team in total rebounds with 211 boards, plus he added 31 blocks. He is not projected as a first-round choice by ESPN.com.
“PJ and I met and talked this week about his future and the process that he would be able to go through if he chose to,” UK head coach John Calipari said in a press release. “I think it’s very important that each kid understands where he stands at this point in the eyes of professionals. He’s improved physically and mentally. His ability to play winning basketball isn’t even close to where it was at the beginning of the season. I’ve seen a tremendous growth in all those areas. Like all these kids, I would like to continue to coach PJ, but I’m going to support him as he goes through this process.”
“Testing the waters” under NCAA rules allows Washington to go through the NBA Draft Combine and team workouts to see have NBA scouts evaluate him and possibly improve his draft position. As long as he does not sign with an agent, he will be able to remove his name from the draft and return to college.
The 2018 NBA Draft Combine will take place May 16-20 at the Barclays Center. The deadline for making a decision about whether he will stay in the draft is June 11.
Jared Peck: 859-231-1333, @JPSaysHere
This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Kentucky’s PJ Washington will ‘test the waters’ for NBA Draft, but not hire an agent."