Kentucky's Isaiah Jackson staying in 2021 NBA Draft

Forward Isaiah Jackson won't return to the Kentucky Wildcats for his sophomore year. 

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reports Jackson hired an agent and is staying in the 2021 NBA Draft class. 

"I feel like I'm ready," Jackson told the Worldwide Leader. "All the feedback from teams has been good. People are saying lottery, which is what I wanted. That's one of the main reasons I'm declaring, so my agent can get involved and speak on my behalf in terms of negotiating and making sure he can get me to the right team." 

He continued: 

"This is going to be a big burden off my shoulders. That's all anyone wants to know. A lot of Kentucky fans are telling me to stay every day. I just want to be able to do what I want instead of being restricted. I want to do camps and autograph signings to get some money in my pocket. In order to set that up I need to be fully declared."

Jackson averaged 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a freshman. Gary Parrish of CBS Sports predicted Jackson will go 12th overall in his latest mock draft, while James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area recently mocked that Jackson could be available through at least the first 18 selections. 

"He’s a hot mess on offense, but what Jackson can do on a court is pure instincts," Ham wrote. "If you can teach him some basic pick-and-roll sets and get him in the weight room, this could be a game-changing steal."