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Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Joel Ayayi announced today he will enter the NBA Draft process without hiring an agent, leaving the opportunity available to easily return to Gonzaga for his junior year.
Ayayi took a huge leap forward in his sophomore year, averaging 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. As the primary backup to Ryan Woolridge and Admon Gilder, Ayayi was all over the court, on both ends of the ball, easily and rapidly turning this blog and many of its writers into Joel Ayayi superfans. He concluded the season on a high note, taking home the WCC Tournament MVP.
The talent for the NBA is definitely there for the 20-year-old French guard. Ayayi has displayed his talents against top flight competition in the FIBA World Cups as a member for Team France. However, he most likely will be returning to school. Ayayi is appearing as a late second round pick in most draft boards, if appearing at all.
Like teammate Corey Kispert, who declared without hiring an agent on Thursday, this is what the process is all about: testing the waters and getting feedback. Considering Filip Petrusev did the same thing last year, we should expect his announcement to come any day now.
The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 25 and players have until June 3 to withdraw from early entry. Albeit, no one knows quite what the next month will look like due to COVID-19, but those are the current dates to keep in the back of your minds.