Oregon freshman King declares for NBA draft
Oregon freshman Louis King will hire an agent and enter the NBA draft, he told ESPN's Jonathan Givony on Friday.
"It's been a truly incredible experience playing for Oregon," King said. "I'm excited to announce that after speaking with my family and coaches, I have decided to enter the 2019 NBA Draft. I will hire an agent and am fully committed to the draft process. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to get to work and prepare for the NBA."
The 6-foot-8 forward was a five-star recruit and the 11th-ranked prospect in the 2018 high school class. However, offseason knee surgery forced King to miss Oregon's first seven games. He struggled in the early going before turning things around in the latter stages of the campaign.
King averaged 16.5 points, six boards, and 1.3 steals to help the Ducks claim the Pac-12 Tournament title and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. King was just as impressive during Oregon's Sweet 16 run, averaging 16.3 points on 50 percent shooting, including a sizzling 61.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The 20-year-old was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and was given an All-Conference honorable mention.