Iowa guard Payton Sandfort declares for 2024 NBA Draft

The Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball program put together a decent 2023-24 season, which led them to a berth in the 2024 NIT. However, it appears as if Iowa might lose one of their key contributors from this year’s team. On Tuesday, wing Payton Sandfort announced that he would be entering his name into the 2024 NBA Draft.

And the junior combo guard announced via social media with this heartfelt message to Hawkeye Nation.

“It has been a dream come true to represent this program and my state the past three seasons as a Hawkeye,” said Sandfort. “Every day I pushed myself to make our team as successful as possible. I have loved every second of being a Hawkeye. It has been my lifelong dream to get the opportunity to play in the NBA. I plan to enter my name into the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining my eligibility. I will continue to push myself every day to make this dream a reality. I appreciate the support from Hawkeye nation as I go through this process.”

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Sandfort made the most of his starting opportunity this season by having huge increases in his production. This year head coach Fran McCaffrey made him into a starter and that decision paid dividends. Sandfort would start and play in all 34 games for the Hawkeyes this season averaging 30.5 minutes per contest. His scoring jump significantly as he averaged 16.4 points per contest to lead Iowa in scoring on the year. Sandfort also averages 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.7 steals per contest.

What makes Sandfort an ideal prospect for the NBA is not only his size, as he is listed at 6-foot-7, 215lbs, but also his shooting ability. Last year the junior combo guard would shoot 44 percent from the field, just under 38 percent from beyond the arc and was nearly automatic from the free throw line shooting 91 percent on the season.

Sandfort wasn’t the only individual to address his potential jump to the NBA. His head coach also took a moment to acknowledge his decision and speak on the caliber of player he is.

“We fully support Payton using this opportunity to gain valuable feedback from NBA personnel through workouts and interviews,” said McCaffery. “Payton is one of the best shooters in the nation and he displayed an all-around game during his junior season. He will go through this process with a professional approach, and we are excited to see his game continue to grow to another level.”