On Tuesday, Auburn freshman forward JT Thor announced his intention to submit his name for the 2021 NBA Draft going through their evaluation process. This allows him to sign with an NCAA agent to receive feedback and then if he wishes he may return back to school.
Thor started all 27 games of the 20-21 season and averaged 9.4 points and 5 rebounds a game. In the last 16 games, Thor scored in double figures 11 of those. The freshman shot 44% from the floor and had an impressive free throw percentage of 74%.
"JT has a great future ahead of him," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We're going to support him as he goes through this process and receives valuable feedback. We're going to work really hard to see that he gets the best opportunity, whether that is keeping his name in the draft or coming back to Auburn."
The Alaskan native spoke highly of Auburn, his teammates and Pearl in his announcement saying "First and foremost, I'd like to thank Coach Pearl and the entire coaching staff here at Auburn for accepting me with open arms both on and off the court. Being here has taught me to value hard work and doing things the right way, the Auburn way. I'd also like to thank my teammates for an amazing season. We had our ups and downs, but through it all, I wouldn't trade it for anything.”
Thor has no current deadline on whether to remain in the draft or return to Auburn due to Covid precautions pushing back dates for the NBA combine and NCAA eligibility deadlines.
