USC's Kevin Porter Jr. Declares for 2019 NBA Draft

The freshman shooting guard was a five-star recruit for the Trojans.

USC's Kevin Porter Jr., will declared for the 2019 NBA draft and hire an agent, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony. The shooting guard from Seattle, Wash., averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 47.1% shooting from the field during his freshman campaign. 

"I will be declaring for the 2019 NBA draft and I will be signing with Roc Nation Sports," Porter told ESPN. "During the NBA workouts I just want to show the NBA teams that I have a strong work ethic, and I am very versatile and I am very committed to the game and that I just love it, that's all I want to do," Porter said."

Porter only appeared in 21 games for the Trojans during his lone collegiate season due to a nagging quad injury and off the court issues. The former five-star recruit was suspended indefinitely for a "personal conduct" issue prior to USC's game against Oregon on Jan. 13. He returned to the floor and dropped 14 points on Jan. 24 during the Trojans 80–57 win over Arizona.

USC's season ended with a 78–75 loss to Washington in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals. Porter Jr. dropped 17 points, nabbed six boards, two steals and made one block in his final appearance for the Trojans, who finished in eighth place in the conference with a 16–17 record.

Despite his limited appearances, Porter Jr. remains a top draft prospect. In his first three games, the 6'6" guard averaged 23 minutes per game, 13.7 points per game and 3.7 boards while shooting 61.5% from the field and 33.3% from the three.