UCLA’s Jaylen Hands to enter NBA draft, won’t hire agent

Another UCLA basketball player has decided to enter his name into the NBA draft.

This one might actually come back.

Point guard Jaylen Hands, who recently completed an erratic freshman season, announced on social media Wednesday that he would dabble with the draft. Hands wrote that he would not hire an agent, preserving his ability to return to college next season.

“Excited for feedback and opportunity to grind while keeping my college eligibility,” Hands wrote on Instagram.

Hands averaged 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a part-time starter whose production dipped toward the end of the season, partially as the result of a sprained ankle suffered in practice the week before the Bruins’ final regular-season game.

Hands did not reach double figures in scoring in any of the last eight games he played and finished the season making only 40.5% of his shots and 37.4% of his three-pointers.

But he could score in bunches, making a trio of three-pointers in the final minute of the first half against Arizona in February to propel the Bruins to an upset victory over the nationally ranked Wildcats in Tucson.

Hands also enjoyed a flair for the flashy play, dunking over coach Steve Alford’s head during a preseason showcase at Venice Beach and making what SportsCenter’s Twitter account dubbed “ASSIST OF THE YEAR” when he jumped into the air and shuffled the ball between his legs before throwing an alley-oop pass to Kris Wilkes against Stanford in January.

Hands irritated Alford at times with his shot selection, which sometimes included step-back three-pointers early in the shot clock. The coach could be heard shouting “Why?” after one particularly egregious three-pointer during the same game in which Hands threw the memorable alley-oop pass.

Hands has until June 11 to decide whether to withdraw his name from draft consideration.

Hands’ departure would leave the Bruins without a returning point guard on their roster after starter Aaron Holiday announced earlier this week that he would forgo his final season of eligibility to enter the NBA draft. UCLA has a commitment from Tyger Campbell, a highly touted point guard from La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere School, and is believed to be pursuing Brandon Williams, another widely coveted point guard who reopened his recruitment earlier this month after previously committing to Arizona.

Another opening on UCLA’s roster could be created if Wilkes enters his name into the NBA draft; the freshman small forward has not publicly announced his intentions.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch