Coveted transfer Kenneth Lofton Jr announces he's staying in 2022 NBA Draft

Former Louisiana Tech forward Kenneth Lofton is staying in the 2022 NBA Draft, he announced Monday evening via Twitter. The Bulldogs star was one of the more prized prospects in the transfer portal, with Auburn and Kentucky expressing interest along with others.

“See y’all June 23,” he wrote in his tweet. “100% staying into the draft!”

This past season, Lofton averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 boards per game and was named first time All-Conference USA. Louisiana Tech finished with a 24-10 record, but lost in its conference championship game to UAB.

See y’all June 23. 100% staying into the draft!🙏🏾🏀 https://t.co/35oK7AUe2N

— kenneth lofton jr. (@itzjunior34) May 24, 2022

Lofton was not highly recruited coming out of high school, which left him to land with the Bulldogs for his freshman season in 2020-21. He didn’t take long to make an impact, averaging 12.2 points and 7.5 rebounds to earn C-USA Freshman of the Year. He helped lead the USA to a gold medal the following summer at the at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia. There, Lofton became just the third USA player (and the first since 1987) to average at least 13 points, five rebounds and shoot at least 60 percent from the field in a U19 World Cup.

Kenneth Lofton is not currently projected by most mock drafts but recently emerged as a standout in the NBA G League Elite Camp. He then earned an invitation to compete in the draft combine and recorded 13 points, three rebounds and three steals in his lone scrimmage appearance.

He likely formed his decision to stay in the draft based on feedback from team executives and scouts after a strong performance in the combine. He will also have the opportunity to improve his draft stock in private workouts with teams.

The NBA Draft will take place on June 23.