The ongoing pandemic across the country has halted the lives and plans of many Americans. Just today another dream may have been put on hold due to the effects of the Coronavirus but not for too long. UCLA basketball player Chris Smith who was supposed to enter into the NBA Draft this year has opted instead to return to school for another year.
UCLA's Chris Smith will withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft and return to school next season, per his father.
HUGE Pac-12 News.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 3, 2020
After a breakout season for the Bruins in which 20-year old averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He also made 35% of his three-pointers and a solid 85% of his free throws. While the season was cut short, that kind of production earned the 6-foot-9 guard Pac-12 honors as well as AlL-Pac-12 first-team honors.
Smith who has been ranked the No. 65 prospect in the ESPN Top 100 has piqued the interest on many NBA teams as it got closer toward the draft. However, with the current events that have plagued this country, the NBA Draft which was supposed to take place on June 25, had been postponed. The prolonged wait for the draft seemed to give Smith more time to way his options as he once again opted to return to UCLA instead of entering the draft.
Such a decision would surely go a long way in helping the Bruins next season and it should only help Smith’s stock sore if he can build off of this past season. He has the talent and with his young age, it shouldn’t be much of a problem for him to garner interest from teams in next year’s draft.
