Michigan State guard Jaden Akins to withdraw from 2023 NBA Draft, return to Spartans for 2023-24 season

Michigan State guard Jaden Akins will withdraw from the 2023 NBA Draft and return to school for the 2023-24 season, he announced on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

Akins dropped a pin with the text “East Lansing” on Twitter on the deadline to withdraw from the draft while still retaining collegiate eligibility.

His decision is a massive win for the Spartans.

Akins averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds as a sophomore, while his Michigan State squad reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans were bounced in one of the tournament’s most thrilling games, a 98-93 overtime contest against Kansas State.

Along with his contributions on the court, which saw a massive uptick from Akins’ freshman to sophomore years, Jaden Akins was also honored as the Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree from the Spartans. The league honors one player on each team every year.

Prior to enrolling at Michigan State, Jaden Akins was a highly coveted recruit in the 2021 recruiting class. He was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 53 overall player in the nation in his cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Akins was also ranked as the No. 8 point guard in the class and the No. 3 overall player from the state of Michigan, hailing from Ypsilanti (Mich.) Ypsi Prep Academy.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.