With the college basketball season now over, the stars of the season – and the NBA’s stars of tomorrow – are now preparing to make the jump to the next level.
One of those stars is Tennessee’s Kennedy Chandler, who declared for the NBA Draft on Tuesday via Twitter.
“After much prayer and deliberation, I am extremely excited to announce that I will be declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft and hiring agent Ryan Davis,” Chandler wrote on Twitter, announcing his departure from the Volunteers.
With Chandler deciding to hire an agent, Ryan Davis of Rep 1 Sports, representing Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Nowell`, he is forfeiting his remaining eligibility. Which means he can no longer return to college to play basketball.
Chandler will join the NBA Draft waters by some other members of the SEC, including LSU’s Tari Eason and Auburn’s Jabari Smith.
Chandler just wrapped up an immensely successful freshman season for the Vols. Chandler averaged a team-high 13.9 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game and was a member of the All-SEC Freshman Team and the All-SEC Team.
Backed by the solid play of Chandler and his teammates, the Volunteers finished the season 27-8 and won the SEC tournament, where Chandler was named tournament MVP. Tennessee ended its season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to the 11th-seeded Michigan Wolverines.
Most draft experts consider the speedy point guard Chandler a first-round pick and is a borderline lottery pick to some.
The NBA Draft is on Thursday, June 23, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
