For AJ Lawson, there was always a little bit of waffling going on as he decided whether or not to stay in the NBA Draft or come back to South Carolina, but the decision at the end was an easy one.

As the summer went on and the deadline to withdraw drew closer, Lawson knew what he wanted to do and that was come back for at least one more season as a Gamecock.

“I mean it’s my dream to play in the NBA one day,” Lawson said. “It was a tough decision to make. The decision wasn’t tight but it was just the right decision to make now coming back to school.”

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Lawson had his first media availability of the preseason Wednesday, serving as his first public comments since announcing his decision on July 29.

The now junior talked about what was a “weird summer” trying to get into a gym during Coronavirus pandemic and finding ways to workout when Canada was locked down.

When he wasn’t working out, Lawson spent his time taking virtual meetings with NBA front offices to go through his strengths and weaknesses and get more information on whether or not to come back to school.

“Those calls were very informative. I feel like I learned a lot,” Lawson said. “This year, it was still a good year. I could have worked on making better decisions. I shot the ball really well but I need to work on my turnover rate and bring that down.”

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Lawson did lead the team averaging 13.4 points last season while also shooting 41.4 percent from the field (33.9 percent from three, 72.4 from the line).

His struggles came in consistency and in turnovers, averaging 2.6 turnovers per game (up from two turnovers per game as a freshman) to 2.9 assists per game.

He’d end the season with an assist rate of 12.4 and a turnover rate of 17.

With him coming back for his junior season it gives him another year to improve on those things. Plus, with this year not counting against his eligibility, there’s no downside to returning.

“They were encouraging, talking me through things and giving me advice. They’re always looking out for me and want the best for me,” he said. “With the whole COVID situation, I felt like if I came back to school it would be the better decision to get better and have more time.”

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Lawson returns to a team scheduled to bring back four starters and return almost 70 percent of their production from an 18-win team last year.

Now that he’s back on campus and the Gamecocks are starting preseason practice, he’s just ready to put this summer’s process behind him and get to work for the 2020 season.

“It was a good experience to have some Zoom calls with NBA teams,” he said. “It was a good experience. I’m glad to be back now getting better and playing with my teammates.”