Xavier Rathan-Mayes Declares for 2016 NBA Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

Florida State Seminoles guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes announced Tuesday that he will declare for the 2016 NBA draft as he seeks to gain more information regarding his pro prospects. 

Rathan-Mayes' official announcement came on Twitter, where he noted that he won't hire an agent in order to maintain his collegiate eligibility:    

Rathan-Mayes ranks 27th among all sophomores in the DraftExpress database, but the site's latest mock draft doesn't have him projected to be selected after he suffered a statistical regression during the 2015-16 season. 

After ranking ninth among all Atlantic Coast Conference players with a 14.9 points-per-game scoring average as a freshman, Rathan-Mayes managed just 11.8 points per game, while all his other numbers either flatlined or dipped slightly. 

Season	MPG	PPG	APG	FG%	3P%
2014-15	34.7	14.9	4.3	41.6%	28.1%
2015-16	29.3	11.8	4.4	40.8%	28.5%

Beyond his basic box-score numbers declining, Rathan-Mayes also watched his advanced numbers sink as the Seminoles failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The sophomore's player efficiency rating dropped from 15.6 to 15.1 from 2014-15 to 2015-16, and DraftExpress' data indicates his point-per-possession output sunk from 0.89 last year to 0.87 this year. 

If there's good news for Rathan-Mayes, it's that he has developed into a solid distributor and ball-handler—which should aid his draft stock. 

"He uses ball screens well, setting up his opponent with some misdirection to run him into the screen and then using changes of speeds to beat the help defense once he gets into the paint," DraftExpress' Josh Riddell wrote. 

However, Rathan-Mayes could surely benefit from another year in college as he seeks to develop a more consistent jumper that will catch the eye of NBA scouts looking for true combo guards who can play on and off the ball at the next level. 

But with his eligibility still intact, declaring for the draft at this stage can only serve to aid Rathan-Mayes' understanding of his value as it's viewed through the lens of the Association. 

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.