AJ Lawson's already made one decision this offseason and now another, bigger one, looms over the next few weeks.
Lawson declared for the NBA Draft a little less than a week ago, putting his name into the talent pool, which isn't a problem for his head coach.
Making his first public comments on Lawson's decision on 1400 AM with Teddy Heffner, Martin said he fully supports the sophomore's choice to test NBA Draft waters.
"He felt that he needed more time to keep gathering information to make the best decision he can make," Martin told Heffner. "I'm in full support of these young men making these decisions."
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Lawson officially declared Sunday, a few hours before the deadline for underclassmen to put their name in the draft.
Lawson was projected to go in the first round before his sophomore season but, after a somewhat inconsistent year, saw him slip out of most mock drafts all together.
He did lead the team averaging 13.4 points per game but shot just 41.4 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three and 72.4 percent from the free throw line.
Lawson will have the opportunity now, like Martin mentioned, to go through the process and talk with NBA teams to see what his stock and value is entering the draft.
If he wants to come back, he'll have to pull his name out by June 3.
He's not the first Gamecock to go through the process, though. Lawson actually did it last year but Chris Silva did so after his junior year and opted to return to school while PJ Dozier did it after his sophomore season and ultimately went pro.
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"For AJ, it's something that's a dream of his. I went through it with Chris Silva, I went through it with Sindarius. Sindarius elected not to pursue it after his junior year. I went through it with PJ Dozier," Martin said. "I've been through it with Jacob Pullen at K-State and Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. I've been fortunate I've been around some guys who have been good enough to put their name in the hat and it's no different with AJ."
The way the NBA is structured, guys can go through the process while still maintaining eligibility and come back to school.
Because of that, NBA hopefuls can take advantage of the process to get feedback from NBA scouts and GMs before returning to school for another season.
It's something Martin thinks a lot of players should take advantage of.
Also see: Analyzing the Lawson decision
"If they offered me to make myself available, I'd make myself available," he said. "I don't think there's any place for a 280-pound coach with bad knees to make himself available."
