Smart Declares For NBA Draft
It was only a matter of time.
In a move that should come as no surprise to anyone, Oklahoma State sophomore point guard Marcus Smart officially declared for the NBA Draft on Monday, concluding his two-year stint in Stillwater.
Smart announced he will move to Los Angeles to begin full-fledged training for the upcoming draft, where the All-American guard is projected unanimously as a Top 10 selection.
To most people's surprise, Smart spurned the draft after last season despite being a projected Top 5 pick, choosing to return to school and win the Big 12 and make a Final Four run with the Cowboys.
Things didn't go as planned.
It was a tumultuous year for the sophomore guard, as he made headlined more often for emotional outbursts and questionable play than anything else until hitting a low point with the infamous fan-shoving incident at Texas Tech resulted in a three-game ban for Smart.
The Cowboys finished a disappointing season with a 21-13 record and an 8-10 mark in Big 12 play, despite being the preseason co-favorite to win the league. After nearly missing the NCAA Tournament, the Pokes were bounced in the opening round by Gonzaga 85-77. Smart had 23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and six steals in his final college game.
Smart finished his sophomore campaign with first-team all-conference honors after averaging 18 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game on 42.2 percent shooting and 29.9 percent shooting from 3-point range.
He was the Big 12 freshman of the year and player of the year as a freshman in 2012-13, joining Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley as just the third player in conference history to sweep the awards.
