Washington’s Jaylen Nowell declares for NBA Draft

SEATTLE – Washington guard Jaylen Nowell, the Pac-12 Conference player of the year, announced he will enter the NBA Draft.

Nowell released a statement on social media Sunday night, ending the debate about whether he would declare for the NBA following a sophomore season where he led Washington in scoring and was named the conference player of the year by Pac-12 coaches.

In his statement, Nowell said, “This season has been nothing less than amazing,” and after discussions with his family and coaches decided to declare for the draft. Nowell has until May 29 to change his mind and return to Washington for his junior season. Washington coach Mike Hopkins said in a statement, “When he chose to stay with us two years ago and come to the University of Washington, we have seen him grow every single day, both on and off the court.”

Nowell averaged 16.2 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range during his sophomore season. Nowell helped lead Washington to the Pac-12 regular season title and into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

Nowell has been projected as anywhere from a mid-first round to a second-round pick by analysts.