Baylor forward Matthew Mayer will withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school, a source told ESPN on Monday.
Mayer was one of 69 players announced as having accepted an invite to attend the NBA combine in Chicago, which starts Tuesday, but has changed course and withdrawn his name from the event, a source told ESPN.
The NCAA deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and maintain college eligibility is July 7.
Mayer, a 6-foot-9 junior, was ranked as the No. 63 prospect in the ESPN 100. He averaged 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 16 minutes per game for Baylor, which won the national championship in April.
Mayer is expected to step into significantly more playing time next season, and making another deep tournament run with an expanded role would undoubtedly benefit his draft stock.
Mayer should enter next season projected as a potential first-round pick and Big 12 Player of the Year candidate on a Baylor squad that returns several important pieces from last season and has added some real firepower in the offseason via the recruiting trail and transfer portal.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.