Julian Strawther declares for NBA draft, says time at Gonzaga produced ‘great memories’
Still in its early stages, Gonzaga’s offseason has already featured a few unexpected twists and turns.
Monday came with a piece of news Bulldog fans have been anticipating for some time.
Julian Strawther, the productive junior wing who knocked down one of the biggest shots of the NCAA Tournament to help Gonzaga clinch a berth in the Elite Eight, has declared for the 2023 NBA draft, he announced on his Twitter and Instagram pages.
“My time at Gonzaga has produced some of my greatest memories and strongest relationships,” Strawther wrote. “I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, and the entire Bulldogs staff, who have helped me grow, not only as a player, but as a man, and I’ll be forever thankful for the support that Spokane has shown the kid from the bright lights of Vegas.
“After talks with those closest to me, I have decided to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft.”
Strawther also declared for the 2022 NBA draft, gaining valuable feedback from a variety of NBA teams before ultimately returning to college as a junior to help improve his draft stock and lead the Zags to their eighth consecutive Sweet 16.
The wing has two years of college eligibility remaining and didn’t specify whether he’d leave the door open for a return to Spokane, but it’s widely expected Strawther will turn the page and move on to the NBA, with a variety of analysts and writers projecting him as a first- or early second-round NBA draft pick.
Strawther stepped into a bigger role as a junior, posting career-highs in points (15.2), rebounds (6.2), assists (1.3), steals (0.8) and blocks (0.4) while starting in all 37 games for the Zags.
The 6-foot-7 wing was named to the All-WCC First Team and delivered a number of highlights for Gonzaga during a run to the regular-season and conference tournament championships, before doing much of the same at the NCAA Tournament.
Strawther buried a game-winning 3-pointer inside the final 10 seconds of GU’s 75-74 come-from-behind win at BYU and erupted for a career-high 40 points just two weeks later at Portland, making eight 3-pointers against the Pilots.
Over a three-game WCC stretch, Strawther scored 26, 28 and 28 points against BYU, LMU and Pepperdine. In an 88-81 home win over the Cougars, Strawther overcame foul trouble to make back-to-back 3’s in the final four minutes, including a go-ahead triple with 3 minutes, 10 seconds remaining.
Strawther rose to the moment in Gonzaga’s first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Grand Canyon, scoring a game-high 28 points to go with 10 rebounds in an 88-71 victory.
Playing in his hometown of Vegas for the Sweet 16, Strawther shrugged off a poor shooting performance against UCLA to step up and hit one of the biggest shots in Gonzaga history, knocking down a deep, straight-on 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds remaining to clinch a 79-76 win over the Bruins.
Strawther was on Gonzaga’s bench as a freshman when close friend and fellow class of 2020 recruit Jalen Suggs hit a 40-foot runner against UCLA in the 2021 Final Four to send the Bulldogs to the national championship game.
“It’s moments like that you can’t make up,” Strawther said after the game. “Those are literally the moments you dream of. To even make a shot like that in March Madness and just to be back home in Vegas is like the cherry on top.”
The most recent mock draft from The Athletic, published on March 28, projects Strawther going No. 27 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.
“He is a terrific catch-and-shoot weapon, plus has a little more off the bounce than most realize due to his floater,” author Sam Vecenie wrote. “Defensively, he’s not an impact player, but he worked through some issues throughout the season to become passable.”
A USA Today mock draft doesn’t have Strawther going in the first round, and Yahoo! Sports’ latest projection has the Gonzaga junior going in the second round, at No. 35 overall, to the Boston Celtics.