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Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•04/02/23•

ChandlerVessels

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Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, he announced Sunday via his Instagram. Smith spent the past four seasons with the Bulldogs after beginning his college career at Western Kentucky.

Smith was a starter for the Bulldogs in each of the past three seasons. The 2022-23 season marked his best yet from a statistical perspective as he averaged a team-high 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. MSU earned a spot in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament but lost to Pittsburgh.

Tolu Smith has one season of college eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2019-20 and will have until June 12 to withdraw from the NBA Draft. He currently isn’t listed in most mocks, so chances of a return are still very possible.

Smith averaged 14.2 points and eight rebounds the past three seasons with the Bulldogs.

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.