MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin has its point guard back.
After going through the NBA Draft process to assess his professional readiness, guard John Blackwell announced he will return to the Badgers for his junior season, putting their all-conference player back into their rotation. It was a popular opinion that the 6-4 Blackwell would return.
He didn't appear as a first-round pick in mock drafts and was rarely mentioned as a fringe second-round selection. He was additionally not selected to participate in the NBA G League Combine or the NBA Draft Combine in early May.
Despite not being on the radar of draft analysts, Blackwell maintained that experiencing the process was a win-win situation that allowed him to chase his dream while bettering his craft and getting feedback from NBA personnel.
A client of Life Sports Agency, Blackwell spent the draft process working out in Los Angeles, looking to improve the consistency of his jump shot, defensive aggressiveness, and be more complete at both point guard and off-ball guard.
Numerous college prospects who have entered the NBA Draft while maintaining their eligibility have also put their name in the transfer portal, allowing them to solicit Name, Image, and Likeness offers from interested colleges. Blackwell didn't go that route, making it clear in his early-April statement announcing his NBA Draft intentions that he would be maintaining his eligibility and would only play at Wisconsin should he return to college, rewarding the school for its loyalty for being the only Power Conference program to offer him out of high school.
Blackwell was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last season, starting all 37 games and finishing second on the team in points (15.8 ppg). Blackwell added 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while boosting his shooting percentage to 45.1 percent.
He'll bring those skills to a roster with a vastly different makeup than the one that he finished with last season. While starters Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, John Tonje, and reserves Carter Gilmore, Markus Ilver, and Kamari McGee all graduated, the Badgers lost reserves Xavier Amos and four others to the transfer portal. In their places, UW signed two veteran point guards in San Diego State's Nick Boyd and Virginia's Andrew Rohde, Tulsa senior guard Braeden Carrington, and West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year Austin Rapp from Portland.
Blackwell's return gives head coach Greg Gard the ability to move Blackwell to the off-ball guard to allow Boyd, who helped Florida Atlantic reach the 2023 Final Four, the opportunity to facilitate while freeing up Blackwell to spot up and make plays.
The return of Blackwell means Wisconsin, between returning players, incoming scholarship freshmen, and transfers, has 13 scholarship players and one walk-on for next season's roster, with room to add one more player.
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