Report: Oregon guard Will Richardson withdraws from 2022 NBA Draft

The NBA is on hold for Will Richardson — the guard is returning to Oregon.

After gauging interest from teams for the 2022 NBA Draft, it’s evident Richardson didn’t like what he was hearing. Instead of taking his chances at the next level, the Oregon guard decided to return to the Ducks, according to Jeff Goodman.

“Oregon’s Will Richardson is headed back to school for another season, per source,” tweeted Goodman on Wednesday. “Huge news for Dana Altman.”

Last season, Richardson had the best statistics of his college career, averaging 14.1 points and 3.7 rebounds over 32.3 minutes per game. Over the course of his Oregon career, Richardson has averaged 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 29.2 minutes per game during his four seasons with the program.

Now, Will Richardson is returning to Oregon to avenge a disappointing 2021-22 season for the Ducks. If he’s able to do so, the NBA will be itching to see some more of the Ducks guard.

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Moreover, Will Richardson isn’t the only Oregon star to choose to return to the Ducks, as forward Quincy Guerrier  withdrew his name from the 2022 NBA Draft last week, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. He will be entering his fourth season of college basketball and second with the Ducks.

Guerrier originally began his career with Syracuse before entering the transfer portal and landing in Eugene. During the 2021-22 season, the forward averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for Oregon. Already viewed as one of the best players on the roster, Guerrier coming back is huge for head coach Dana Altman.

Oregon only had five players play in every game last season, with Guerrier being one of them. He was also the only Ducks player to start in all 35 games. The Montreal native was reliable as anybody for the Ducks last season and will hope to bring back the same consistency as a senior.

When Guerrier entered the transfer portal, he was coming off a season where he earned third-team All-ACC honors with Syracuse. He averaged better numbers while still with the Orange compared to his lone season with Oregon but he will have another opportunity to improve. Altman has a long history of putting players into the NBA during his time in the Pacific Northwest.

Nonetheless, Guerrier went through the process and most likely got feedback from teams on what he needs to improve on. The forward will have an opportunity to play another season of college basketball and work on those skills. Guerrier then could have the opportunity to hear his name called and become an NBA player.