TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Isaac is the third Florida State player since the season ended to announce he is entering the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-10 forward made his announcement in a video on social media on Friday and also informed the school of his decision. Isaac did not say whether he intends to hire an agent, a move that would prevent him from returning to school. He is projected to be a lottery pick.
Isaac led the Seminoles in rebounding (7.8 per game) and was second in scoring (12.0 points) as he made the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-freshman team. He helped Florida State (26-9) receive an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2012 and advance to the second round before losing to Xavier .
“I know the season didn’t end as well as expected but I’m proud of what the team was able to accomplish,” Isaac said in the video.
Dwayne Bacon , who led FSU in scoring the past two seasons, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes announced earlier this week that they are also entering the draft. Combined with graduations of Michael Ojo and Jarquez Smith, Florida State is losing four starters, including its top three scorers. The five departures averaged 49.1 of the Seminoles’ 82.1 points this season.
Isaac is the second player in Florida State history to enter the draft after only one season in school. Malik Beasley was the first and was selected 19th overall by the Denver Nuggets last year.
In 15 seasons under Leonard Hamilton, Florida State has produced 10 NBA draft picks including four in the first round. Al Thornton was the highest of those picks, going 14th overall to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2007.
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