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Imhotep’s Justin Edwards declares for NBA draft after one season at Kentucky

Justin Edwards announced in an Instagram post on Thursday his intent to enter the NBA draft after one season at Kentucky.

Kentucky guard Justin Edwards during player introductions before Kentucky played Penn at the Wells Fargo Center on December 9, 2023.
Kentucky guard Justin Edwards during player introductions before Kentucky played Penn at the Wells Fargo Center on December 9, 2023.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Justin Edwards is heading to the NBA draft.

“I have decided to take a significant step in my basketball career,” the Imhotep Charter grad from West Oak Lane said in an Instagram post.

Edwards was Pennsylvania’s Mr. Basketball in 2023, the first Public League McDonald’s All-American in 30 years, a two-time state champion, and was ranked third in the 2023 recruiting class before he went to Kentucky for his lone season of college basketball.

» READ MORE: Imhotep Charter’s Justin Edwards is Philly’s top high school player in 30 years. His mom worked two jobs to keep his dream alive.

Once projected to be a shoo-in lottery pick, Edwards’ stock now seems to be in the second round, according to most mock drafts.

It was an up-and-down freshman campaign for Edwards at Kentucky. The 6-foot-8 forward hit a slump in the middle of the season but broke out for 28 points in a shootout win over Alabama on Feb. 24, then helped the Wildcats knock off Tennessee with 16 points on the road in their final regular season game on March 9.

He closed his season on a high note of sorts: scoring 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting in Kentucky’s upset loss to 14th-seeded Oakland in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.

Edwards said prior to that game in Pittsburgh that he struggled at times during the season with managing the pressure of being a top recruit and projected NBA player.

“Every game I felt like I had to play up to that potential, and I feel like that’s what hurt me,” he said. “Now I’m playing free and just being myself.”

» READ MORE: Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament collapse leaves plenty of questions — especially for Philly-area NBA hopefuls

Edwards scored 8.8 points and added 3.4 rebounds per game across 32 contests (30 starts). He shot 48.6% from the floor, including 36.5% from three-point range.

As of Thursday, it’s unclear what the immediate future holds for the other Philly-area Wildcats. Camden’s DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw both similarly had first-round aspirations, but their stocks seemed to drop after one season at Kentucky.