Pruitt will see what NBA thinks of him

USC point guard Gabe Pruitt, who closed his junior season with a flourish during the NCAA tournament, said he will make himself available for the NBA draft but will not hire an agent so that he protects his remaining year of college eligibility.

“I just thought the opportunity was there,” the 6-foot-4 Pruitt said. “I wanted to get a feel for what it’s like, get a lot of evaluations. If I’m guaranteed first round, obviously I’m going to go.”

He has until June 18 -- 10 days before the draft -- to withdraw his name and be able to return to USC.

After sitting out the first 11 games because of academic ineligibility, Pruitt averaged 12.5 points and excelled during the Trojans’ run to the Sweet 16. He played smothering defense on opposing guards, including Texas’ highly touted D.J. Augustin.

Pruitt also averaged a team-high 4.3 assists along with 2.8 rebounds and made 35% of his three-point shots. Alternating between point guard and shooting guard, he ranks 27th on USC’s career scoring list with 1,102 points.

“I think he helped himself this year by showing that he could play point guard, which is a big plus for him,” one NBA scout said. “But can he do it for the NBA level? That’s the question people would have about Gabe. Is he a two guard trying to be a point guard or does he have point guard ability?

“I think he showed some signs that he can run the point, but I think another year would be good for him.”

This year’s draft is considered weaker for point guards than the 2008 draft, which could include Augustin, Memphis’ Derrick Rose, USC’s O.J. Mayo, North Carolina’s Ty Lawson and UCLA’s Darren Collison.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com