PJ Dozier has a decision to make. A potential million-dollar decision.
South Carolina’s star point guard, who was instrumental in the Gamecocks' run to the Final Four, must soon decide whether he will enter the NBA Draft. And at this moment in time, he is keeping South Carolina fans on their toes.
“I haven’t really put any thought into it,” Dozier said when asked about his draft status after his team’s Final Four loss. “I’m pretty sure I’ll sit down with my coach and my family and discuss what would be the best move for me, but I haven’t really put too much thought into it.”
There is great discrepancy in opinion on where Dozier is projected to go in the draft, should he decide to do so. Some mock draft sites have him hovering between the late first round and early second round, with nbadraft.net projecting him to go as the 36th pick in the draft to the Utah Jazz. Yet some mock drafts don’t even have him being drafted.
This is very common with a player such as Dozier, who had an inconsistent season where he showed flashes of great potential that started NBA whispers very early in the season, but also moments of youth and error. Yet he is not the first player to be in this situation.
Malachi Richardson, a guard who played for Syracuse one year ago during their Final Four run, was forced to confront the same question that Dozier is now after having a very similar season himself.
During his freshman campaign at Syracuse, Richardson averaged 13.4 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists per game. He had stretches of brilliance in addition to times of struggle, including a slump late in the regular season that saw him go five straight games where he shot under 40 percent from the field.
Yet Syracuse made the NCAA Tournament, and under the bright lights of March Madness, and in front of the eyes of the entire basketball world, Richardson played his best basketball of the season. In the Elite Eight, Richardson played one of the best halves of basketball by any player all season, and one that many claim as the reason he went to the NBA and was drafted as high as he was.
Against Virginia, Richardson scored just two points in the first half and he'd missed all 5 of his shots from the field. Yet in the second half, he singlehandedly guided his Syracuse team to the Final Four, scoring 21 points on just 11 shots.
This story lines up very closely with Dozier’s, as do his statistics. On the season, Dozier averaged .5 more points per game than Richardson, .7 rebounds per game more than Richardson, and 0.7 fewer assists per game. He too played his best basketball of the season in March after an up and down regular season, and helped bring his team to Final Four despite nobody expecting them to make it that far.
On basketball’s grandest stage, Dozier came up one rebound shy of a double double, led his team in scoring and recorded his seventh-straight game scoring double figures. Dozier played one of his best games of the season with everyone watching, including the NBA scouts.
Now, Dozier must make a choice. Oftentimes, March Madness’ star performers ride the momentum of their great play in March straight to the NBA Combine and into the draft room. Players such as Richardson, who before the tournament were just an afterthought in the minds of many NBA scouts, end up getting drafted in the first round and become millionaires. They are guaranteed money for signing their name on a contract, and they don’t have to worry about what a bad next season in college, or a gruesome injury, could do to their financial future.
Yet they lose college basketball. They lose March Madness, they lose the college atmosphere, and they lose the ability to develop into a better player before the pressure of the NBA, as well as the opportunity to increase their draft stock.
PJ Dozier has until April 23 to decide on what level of basketball he will be playing next season. He knows of players who were in situations just like him recently, players such as Richardson who was drafted 22nd in the NBA Draft and is set to make up to $2.94 million of guaranteed money through his first two years in the NBA. Yet if he decided to declare, Dozier would be forced to leave behind the coach that has helped make him what he is, and the possibility to improve his draft stock should he perform even better next season.
Right now, as South Carolina fans nervously await his decision, only Dozier knows what is best for himself, and what option he is leaning toward.