Jordan Bone
Prior to the 2019 NBA Draft Combine, Jordan Bone wasn’t showing up on the draft radar of almost any national media outlets. His outstanding showing at the combine changed that, though.
Bone was arguably the most impressive performer at the NBA Draft Combine this year, finishing with the best times in several tests and the best vertical leap as well. He didn’t impress quite as much during scrimmages, but he didn’t really do anything to hurt his stock there, either.
Because of that showing, Bone has finally started to appear on big boards on several media outlets.
Here’s where Bone is showing up in the rankings of NBA Draft prospects:
NBC Sports: 42nd
ESPN: 58th
CBS Sports: 61st
The Athletic: 66th
NBC Sports is clearly the highest on Bone, listing him just outside the top-40 overall prospects for the 2019 NBA Draft. ESPN has Bone as a top-60 prospect, which means he’s just inside the best available players to be drafted (there are only 60 picks in the NBA Draft).
Both CBS Sports and The Athletic have Bone just outside of draft range in terms of ranking, though.
In Sam Vecenie’s write-up of Bone’s official decision to go pro and forgo his senior season, he states that Bone may go undrafted, but he fully expects the Vols’ standout point guard to make it into the NBA even if he does.
“Following Bone’s terrific testing at the NBA Draft Combine, where he tested as an utterly elite athlete in terms of explosiveness measurements, it’s not a surprise that he will ride that wave into the NBA Draft,” Vecenie writes. “My bet is an NBA team sees him as an interesting upside play. It’s possible he’ll get drafted in the second round, but even if he doesn’t, I’d certainly expect him to wind up on a two-way deal.”
But where is Bone showing up in NBA mock drafts?
Most mock drafts for the NBA Draft only look at the first round. There are a few more that only look at the lottery picks, projecting just at he first 14 picks of the draft. Because of that, Bone isn’t in nearly as many mock drafts as his two other teammates. It’s also a reason why Admiral Schofield didn’t appear in as many mock drafts as Grant Williams.
Still, Bone wasn’t in any mock drafts just a few weeks ago. Now, he’s at least on big boards and is beginning to show up in full two-round mock drafts.
Right now, the only updated mock draft that has Bone listed is on NBADraft.net. Their projections have Bone going No. 44 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers. Interestingly, their mock draft has Bone being taken before Admiral Schofield.
Jordan Bone may have done enough at the NBA Draft Combine to sneak into the second round of the draft. He certainly felt like he did since he decided to keep his name in the draft pool. But even if doesn’t get drafted, as Sam Vecenie states, he’ll still likely have an opportunity to make it in the league thanks to a two-way contract and the G League.
