Kentucky's EJ Montgomery Declares for 2019 NBA Draft

Kentucky freshman forward EJ Montgomery announced Friday he is declaring for the 2019 NBA draft. He still has the option of pulling out of the draft by May 29 and returning to Kentucky for his sophomore campaign:

Montgomery appeared in all 37 games for the Wildcats last season and made 10 starts. In 15.1 minutes per game, he averaged 3.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 block.

EJ Montgomery Throws it Down

Montgomery is the latest Wildcat to declare, joining PJ Washington, Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro.

Per Tyler Thompson of Kentucky Sports Radio, Montgomery said: "My goal is to be a first-rounder. If the information I receive supports that, my plan is to stay in the draft and pursue my dreams of playing in the NBA."

The 6'10", 225-pound Montgomery was rated as a 5-star recruit and the No. 9 overall prospect when he committed to Kentucky by 247Sports. His production was modest as a freshman, though.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman did not rank Montgomery among his top 75 prospects on his latest big board, and Montgomery did not come off the board in the first round of his mock draft, either.

If Montgomery returns to Kentucky, he should play a far bigger role in 2019-20. With Reid Travis graduating and Washington entering the draft, he would be Kentucky's top returning big and likely a key part of head coach John Calipari's starting lineup.

With another year of seasoning at Kentucky, Montgomery would likely have every opportunity to earn the first-round grade he desires.