Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther declares for 2022 NBA Draft

After finishing this season as the Zags fourth leading scorer, the sophomore announced his decision to turn professional Monday

Strawther is the second Gonzaga player this year to announce their decision to leave college for the NBA draft. 

Julian Strawther announced Monday that he will be putting his name into the 2022 NBA Draft. Strawther still maintains his college eligibility in decision and has until the end of the day on June 1 to rescind his name from the draft and return to Gonzaga.

At 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds from Las Vegas, Strawther recently wrapped up his sophomore season at GU as a consistent member of the Zags’ starting five, starting all but one game in the team’s 2021-22 campaign. He put up 11.8 points per game on 49.6% field goal shooting and 5.3 rebounds a game.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving me the ability to play the game that I love everyday. Without him none of this would be possible,” Strawther said in a statement he put out Monday morning on his Twitter and Instagram. “Next, I would like to thank my friends and family for all of their endless amounts of love and support. You all always believed in me, even when nobody else would.”

The recently turned 20-year old took the most shots of any Zag from beyond the arc last season at 6.2 a contest and was fourth on the team in converting those chances as a 36.8% 3-point shooter. A West Coast Conference honorable mention selectee, Strawther was pinned to be a staple of the 2022-23 GU roster in a back court that could potentially see all of its pieces return.

Strawther is the second Zag to announce their entering the 2022 NBA Draft behind Drew Timme. While Timme is seen by draft analysts to be a second round selection, Strawther’s name hasn’t yet cracked into mock drafts’ 60 picks. However, with Strawther’s size and shooting capabilities, he projects comparably to other projected second round shooting guards in this year’s draft.

“To Zag Nation, thank you for welcoming me with open arms from the beginning,” Strawther said. “As soon as I committed to Gonzaga, the support from y’all was unconditional. There is truly no place like Gonzaga.”

Strawther could possibly participate in the 2022 NBA Draft Combine from May 16-22 before he makes a final decision on whether or not he wants to keep his name in the draft pool. If he hired an agent before then, he could still return to college for his junior year if the agent is certified by the NCAA.