PV grad Jaworski pursues NBA dream
Perk Valley grad Jaworski hoping for opportunity to chase NBA dream
Justin Jaworski only wants a chance.
He’s done pretty well for himself throughout his basketball career when he gets one.
The once under recruited guard out of Perkiomen Valley and standout at Lafayette College hopes to prove himself again in the coming days and weeks after working out for multiple NBA teams in the buildup to Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Whether he hears his name called or not Thursday night, the 6-foot-3 guard hopes he’s left enough of an impression for another opportunity to showcase himself later in the summer and keep his NBA dreams alive.
“That’s all I ask for,” Jaworski said. “It was the same thing coming out of high school. All I ask for is an opportunity. People can do all these things like the combine testing, the measurements and that’s all good. I know I’m never gonna win that, but every time we get on the basketball court and compete I feel like that normally goes well for me. That’s all I’m looking for is, ‘Give me the opportunity to compete and let’s find out who’s better at basketball.’”
Jaworski had work outs with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves before securing a work out with the Atlanta Hawks this week.
He said he doesn’t expect to get drafted. Already with professional interest overseas, he hopes to relay those workouts into a spot on an NBA Summer League roster and/or an NBA training camp invite and see where that takes him.
“It felt good to finally get the opportunity to prove myself,” Jaworski said. “I feel like I’ve been playing really well in (the workouts). We’ve got some good feedback from teams, so we’ll see if anything comes from it like Summer League or anything like that, but I feel like I’ve been handling business there.”
Jaworski finished his high school career with 1,514 points — second most in Perkiomen Valley history — and only two Division I offers, choosing Lafayette over American University.
He capped a terrific career with a senior season that saw him finish as the 10th leading scoring in NCAA Division I men’s basketball (21.5 points per game). He also ranked 35th in 3-point shooting percentage, converting 39.8 percent of his shots from long range. This all came after tearing his ACL and meniscus in February 2020.
With all players granted an extra year of eligibility, the three-time All-Patriot League selection, who only played a 15-game season this winter, had the opportunity to return to Lafayette or transfer to a Power 5 school to finish off his college career. He instead chose to chase his NBA dreams right away.
“I just decided, ‘I think I proved everything I can prove in college,’ and I was ready to take the next step,” Jaworski said.
“That was the goal from when I started playing basketball,” he added. “From middle school, high school. It kind of sounds crazy when I tell people that because my recruiting wasn’t big, but that was always my goal and I always believed it could happen.”
Jaworski’s showcase for NBA teams began in Indianapolis at the 2021 3X3U National Championship from April 2-4.
In a field with some of the top graduating players in the country and even some who were already pros, Jaworski played well, helping the Wicked Smahts (made of players from the Ivy and Patriot leagues) to a deep run. But he didn’t receive workout invitations from the two NBA teams he talked to at the event.
“It probably wasn’t as much help as I thought it would be, but it was still a really fun experience,” said Jaworski, who won $3,000 at the event.
The feedback Jaworski said he has received from teams is that while they know his scoring and shooting will play at the next level, there are questions about his ability to defend quicker point guards and bigger wings.
He’s had the chance to prove that he can at the workouts with teams as matches up against power conference guys like Joe Wieskamp (Iowa), Duane Washington Jr. (Ohio State), Yves Pons (Tennessee), Carlik Jones (Louisville) and Jahvon Blair (Georgetown).
“That’s the biggest thing is all the guys in the workouts are freaks in terms of their physical build … these guys are super athletic, super strong, definitely the best competition that I’ve been around,” Jaworski said. “I’ve played with other pros, played in Pro-Ams, but these are all guys that have NBA potential.”
The process has been exciting for someone who has looked up to NBA stars throughout his life.
Jaworski, a 76ers fan, said his temporary locker during the Philadelphia workout belonged to guard George Hill. 76ers forward Paul Reed came in to practice after the draft work out concluded.
He hasn’t let the experience distract himself from the end goal. He wants teams to know he belongs there.
“For a second I probably did (let myself get caught up), but like anybody that knows me knows how my mind operates,” Jaworski said. “I was more focused on like, ‘Let’s make this my permanent home. Not just a one time work out.’ I was more focused on kind of going in there to go out for blood.”
After weeks of working out and waiting by his phone, Jaworski hopes to have some clarity on his situation following the conclusion of the draft Thursday. The Summer League rosters are announced in the days after.
The NBA G League and Europe are both options he may have to choose from if he can’t land with an NBA team right away. Jaworski said potential landing spots include Poland, Belgium, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
Wherever and whatever his next step turns out to be, he knows he’ll have to prove himself all over again.
“That’s been my whole life,” Jaworski said. “It’s not going to end any time soon, just having to prove myself probably more than a lot of other people because I don’t really pass the eye test. It’s what used to my whole life. I’m looking to do in the next stage too, and I believe that I can.”