Baylor guard Keyonte George declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Baylor standout Keyonte George has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, he announced on his Instagram account. He is coming off an impressive freshman season this past year.

George emerged as a key piece for Baylor as a key piece of the recruiting class, averaging 15.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for Scott Drew’s group. He was one of three Bears to average at least 15 points per game, joining Adam Flagler (15.6) and LJ Cryer (15.0) as the leaders of the offense. Those numbers earned him Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, as well.

George’s biggest performance came in January when he scored 32 points to lead Baylor to an 83-78 victory over West Virginia.

George arrived in Waco with plenty of hype on the recruiting trail. He was a five-star recruit and the No. 9-ranked player in the nation from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. That made him the highest-rated recruit in program history.

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.