Kentucky basketball: Brandon Boston Jr. declares for NBA Draft after rough season

Brandon Boston Jr. is the latest one-and-done Kentucky basketball player as the Wildcats freshman will enter the NBA Draft after an underwhelming college career.

One day after Terrance Clarke declared for the NBA Draft, Brandon Boston Jr. followed his Kentucky basketball teammate to declare his intentions for the draft.

Boston will sign with an agent, putting to rest any chance of him returning to Kentucky for his sophomore season.

“It was an honor for me to play for the Big Blue Nation this season and to suit up for one of the best coaches in the country,” Boston said on Instagram. “I want to thank Coach Cal, the staff, and my teammates for pushing me day in and day out to be the best player I could be. I’m proud of the progress I made on the court and off it this season. I’m disappointed in the results because we really wanted to win for the best fans in the country.

“I want to thank my family, friends and my brothers for life for always supporting me. That support, along with my experience at Kentucky, has given me the confidence to take this next step. Being a professional basketball player has been my dream for as long as I can remember. I’m excited for this opportunity and I know that I will have the foundation to handle anything that comes my way because of my time as a Wildcat. With that being said, I will be declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft.”

Brandon Boston heads to the NBA Draft after a disappointing season at Kentucky

The 6-foot-7 185-pound Boston came to Kentucky as a highly-regarded recruit (don’t they all?) but never thought he would experience the type of season he did this year.

Kentucky basketball had a losing record, one of their worst seasons in program history, and the Wildcats didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. While March Madness is going on, Kentucky basketball players are taking care of their future and leaving John Calipari’s program and trying to erase the memories of a dismal season.

Boston was the nation’s No. 5 overall reruit and the No. 1 shooting guard, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He started 24 of 25 games as a freshman, averaging 1.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals while playing an average of 30.3 minutes per game.

He really struggled as a shooter, however, making just 35 percent of his shots from the field, 30 percent from 3-point range and 78.5 percent from the free-throw line. His shooting metrics from the field are historically poor for Kentucky basketball players.

That’s not the type of efficiency NBA teams will be looking for when drafting a shooting guard.

The talent and potential is there for Boston, but that alone may not be enough to see him drafted as highly as he would like. A potential lottery pick entering college, Boston’s freshman season likely has him projected at the end of the first round.

He’ll have to ace the pre-draft process to impress scouts and talent evaluators and remove their doubts and questions after he underwhelmed and disappointed during his one year at Kentucky.

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