Javonte Smart Declares for 2019 NBA Draft After Freshman Season at LSU

LSU freshman guard Javonte Smart declared his intention to enter the 2019 NBA draft in an Instagram post Thursday (h/t Amie Just of NOLA.com):

Smart averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his lone season with the Tigers, shooting 36.8 percent from the field and 31.1 percent on three-pointers.

Smart joins his LSU teammates Tremont Waters, Naz Reid and Skylar Mays in turning pro after the 2018-19 season.

Whether Smart gets drafted remains to be seen, however. Jeremy Woo of SI.com had him No. 66 on his big board in March, but ESPN.com and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic didn't have the Louisiana native among their respective top 100 players. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman didn't have Smart among his top 75 in March.

That's not a great sign for his draft prospects, though as Woo noted, he still has some translatable abilities. Woo noted that the 6'4, 200-pound guard "doesn't have a calling-card skill" but has "a strong build and has done a good job of getting into the paint. He's somewhat deceptive off the dribble and knows how to use his body to attack downhill. Smart may not be a good enough playmaker to run point full time, but he has shown plenty to warrant a flier."

Still, Smart didn't end the 2018-19 season on a high note, going scoreless in a Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State. He shot just 8-of-32 from the field in the NCAA tournament.

The possibility remains that Smart could return to LSU next season depends on how the draft process plays out, though as Just noted, there is an ongoing NCAA inquiry into whether Smart received impermissible benefits during now-suspended head coach Will Wade's recruitment process. 

Depending on those findings, he could be ineligible for next season, which perhaps prompted his decision to declare for the draft.