Hamidou Diallo Declares for 2018 NBA Draft; Will Hire Agent

University of Kentucky guard Hamidou Diallo officially declared for the 2018 NBA draft following his freshman season with the Wildcats on Monday.

Diallo released a video on his Twitter account explaining his decision:  

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports first reported the news on April 13 and noted he will hire an agent.

Diallo averaged 10 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 42.8 percent from the field across 37 appearances for UK. He connected on 33.8 percent of his three-point attempts.

In February, the 19-year-old New York City native admitted he wasn't playing up to expectations at either end of the floor.

"It's been a roller coaster for me. It's been up and down and I've still been trying to identify myself within this team," he told reporters. "I haven't been playing well, have been playing terrible on defense and I just need to pick it up. I need to pick it up to a different level of play for myself and for this team."

While he continued to struggle down the stretch, he showcased his potential with 22 points and eight boards in Kentucky's 95-75 victory over Buffalo in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Hamidou Diallo Showing Out the Bunnies with the Putback

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman rated him as the 2018 class' No. 45 prospect on his latest big board.

"The wheels came off for Diallo during the second half of the season. His inability to create, struggles as a shooter and poor defense were exposed," Wasserman wrote. "If he declares, he'll still get drafted thanks to his explosive athleticism and room to improve, but he's a G League player until he shows he can threaten in a half-court game."

Diallo still possesses the intriguing skill set he featured when he arrived to Kentucky as a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports. He's got a lot of work to do before becoming a reliable NBA player, however, which adds risk to his decision to turn pro after a single college season.