Did Kentucky star Justin Edwards go undrafted? Taking a look at former 5-star recruit's 2024 NBA draft stock

Former Kentucky Wildcats guard Justin Edwards went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. The former five-star recruit was predicted to go at No. 30 by ESPN, although he began his freshman season as a top-ranked recruit. The fall in the draft order and the eventual miss are likely due to the lukewarm season he had with the Wildcats.

In his freshman season, Justin Edwards averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 48.6% from the floor, including 36.5% from deep. He started in 30 of the 32 games he played for Kentucky, averaging 21.4 minutes per contest.

In his report, ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony wrote:

"Edwards might not have had the most consistent season, but in his best moments, he made an impact on offense and defense with the type of size, length and pedigree that is hard to come by. Even if it is as a role player, there's room for optimism about what kind of player he could grow into if he puts everything together."

Despite the no-call, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Justin Edwards had signed a two-way deal. Charania posted on X:

"Kentucky's Justin Edwards has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the 76ers, sources said."

This is a homecoming for the guard, who was born in Philadelphia and played for the Imhotep Institute Charter High School. He was named Mr. Basketball Player of the Year in his senior year of high school.

Why did Justin Edwards go undrafted?

There are many reasons why Justin Edwards went uncalled, besides the unimpressive freshman season. Despite the heavy upside, Edwards was listed as 203 pounds and would require more time in the gym to bulk up before being ready to face the heavily built NBA players.

In addition to this, Justin Edwards is older than other freshmen in his draft class. By the time the NBA season rolls around, Edwards will be turning 21 while most of the one-and-done rookies will be 20. While this is not as old as some of the other prospects, the general thought with teams would be doubts of his peak that could end much earlier.

All these reasons aside, Justin Edwards also failed to show up at the NBA Draft combine in May. Most draft prospects used the combine to increase their draft stock, but Edwards did not have any noteworthy moments.

Do you think teams missed out by not drafting Justin Edwards? Let us know in the comment section below.