ASU Basketball: Josh Christopher declares for NBA Draft

On to the league

As many anticipated, Arizona State’s Josh Christopher has officially declared for the NBA Draft. He put out a social media post late on Wednesday evening announcing his intentions to go pro.

The highly-touted four-star recruit didn’t have his one season go exactly as planned in Tempe, but he still showed flashes of his talent and athleticism with the Sun Devils.

In 15 games played, Christopher averaged 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three-point range.

A few of his biggest scoring outbursts came in first half of the season, putting up 28 points against No. 3 Villanova in the second game of the year. He also had a 24-point game against UTEP, and a 22-point showing against UCLA on January 7.

One of the highest-rated recruits in ASU history along with former Sun Devil James Harden, there will be many “what ifs” surrounding Christopher’s brief stint in maroon and gold.

It was always expected that Christopher would be a one and done player, but with COVID-19 protocols and injuries keeping the Mayfair High School product out of the lineup for 11 games, ASU fans only got a shortened look at Christopher’s full potential.

Many early NBA mock drafts have Christopher slotted in the mid-to-late first round at the moment. Fellow freshman standout Marcus Bagley has also yet to announce his intentions on whether he will declare for the NBA.

Remy Martin and Kimani Lawrence are other ASU players who could possibly return for an extra year pending their decisions.

Last week, Hurley added three players to the program, with two coming via the transfer portal (Jay Heath, AJ Bramah), and the other in the form of four-star center Enoch Boakye out of George Harris Prep in Ontario, Canada.