Baylor Bears guard Matthew Mayer (24). Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Mayer to withdraw from NBA draft, return to Baylor

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Jun 21, 2021 3:26 PM ET

The Baylor Bears will have a key figure back in the rotation when they begin the defense of their national championship this fall.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported Monday that forward Matthew Mayer will withdraw from the upcoming NBA Draft and return to Baylor for his senior season. Mayer was one of the dozens of players who accepted an invite to the NBA Combine slated to start in Chicago on Tuesday but reportedly maintained his NCAA eligibility.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals his junior season at Baylor and, per Givony, should see an uptick in minutes during the 2021-22 college basketball season. Assuming he stays healthy and even flirts with reaching what is thought to be his ceiling, he could develop into a first-round pick by the summer of 2022.

Earlier on Monday, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report listed Mayer as a potential second-round selection for this year's draft.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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