The NBA Finals have concluded so it is time for all 30 teams to start preparing for next season. The lottery was held on May 12th, the final deadline for early entry withdrawal was June 16th, and the draft will take place on June 26th/27th. We will spend the next 24 hours interviewing as many members of this year’s draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Arkansas F Chandler Lawson about winning the 2023 AAC tourney and what it would mean to him to get drafted.
You won 4 straight state titles in high school: what is the key to winning championships? We had a great group of guys who bought in and had no egos. Everyone followed the game plan, had fun, and knew that we would all have each other’s back.
Your dad Keelon was your coach at Wooddale High School for that final title: what was the best part of having your dad as your coach, and what was the not-so-best part (if any)? The best part is that I could take any shot I wanted…but the not-so-best part is that I would have to deal with the consequences of missing any shots when I got home! It was a great run for both me and my brother Johnathan: we did a great job of running through the city and winning it all.
In 2020 as a player at Oregon you were the only freshman to appear in all 31 games and you started the final 12 games of the season: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? Being in a basketball family I learned how to play with different people. I adjusted, learned fast, listened to the coaches, watched film, and did all the little things that not every other freshman was doing. I felt like a junior coming in because I was able to pick up things so fast.
Your team went 24-7 that season and entered the Pac-12 tourney as the #1 seed: what was your reaction after you learned that the entire postseason was being canceled due to COVID? We had a great run and I thought that we could make a big run in March had it not been for COVID. We had some good pieces like (future NBA champ) Payton Pritchard but I was really sad that everything got cancelled because it was the final season for a lot of our guys.
In the 2023 AAC tourney as a player at Memphis you scored 5 PTS in a 10-PT win over a Houston team that had only lost 2 games at that point: where does that upset rank among the best wins of your career? It is a top-5 win. Houston is always 1 of the best teams in the country and a strong defensive-minded squad. We had to be really locked in and not take a single play off. I felt like we could have beaten anybody after beating the Cougars.
In the 2023 NCAA tourney you scored 5 PTS but Nicholas Boyd made a floater with 2.5 seconds left in a 1-PT win by FAU: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? That is 1 of the 2 toughest losses of my career. Every play counts and we could have changed a lot of things toward the end of that game. We put ourselves in a couple of bad positions for the game to go down that way by giving them a chance to win it.
Last March as a player for Arkansas you scored 2 PTS in a 111-102 loss to Kentucky: how do you think that former Wildcats coach John Calipari will do in Fayetteville next year? It is a new journey for him. He has done a good job of bringing in great recruits but you never know how everyone will bond with each other. You have to hope they are all on the same page while chasing championships.
You are 6’8” but have a 7’7” wingspan: how much of an advantage is your length on the court? I use my length a lot: I can guard my man without being right up on him and can defend multiple positions very well.
Your brothers Johnathan/Dedric/KJ all played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? I would say me, for sure!
What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? It would mean a lot to get drafted. Everyone dreams of that…but if not then it is just another stepping stone. I will try to find a way to get on a summer league team and if not then maybe go overseas. I am just thankful for the situation I am in and am ready for whatever comes next.