Tennessee wing Admiral Schofield has been drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. He was then traded to the Washington Wizards.
Schofield becomes the second Tennessee player taken in the 2019 NBA Draft. Grant Williams was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 22nd overall pick in the first round earlier in the night.
This year’s draft marks the first time since the 2014 NBA Draft that multiple Vols have been taken in the same draft. That year’s draft saw Jarnell Stokes go No. 35 overall in the second round to the Utah Jazz and Jordan McRae go No. 58 overall to the San Antonio Spurs. Stokes was later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, and McRae was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaking of McRae, Schofield will join the former Vol in Washington. McRae played 27 games for the Wizards in the 2018-19 season, averaging a career-high 5.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while averaging a career-high 12.3 minutes a game.
Last year, Schofield put his name in the NBA Draft pool to receive feedback from NBA scouts and analysts about what he needed to do in order to take his game to the next level. He ultimately came back to Tennessee for his senior season, and he improved in nearly every major statistical category in his final UT campaign.
Schofield averaged career-highs in points per game (16.5) and assists per game (2.0) while averaging over six rebounds a game for a second-straight season. He also set career-highs in overall field goal percentage (45.8 percent) and three-point shooting (41.8 percent). He earned First-Team All-SEC honors this season in his senior year.
Once his career came to a close, Schofield finished as one of only seven Vols ever to amass 1,500 points and 700 rebounds in a career. He finished his four-years on Rocky Top having averaged 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds. Schofield shot 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.
During his junior year, Schofield led the team in rebounding with 6.4 boards per game. He was second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg), steals (34) and 3-pointers made (64), and third in 3-point shooting percentage (.395). Schofield’s breakout 2017-18 campaign was good enough for him to earn Second Team All-SEC honors.
As a sophomore, he started just one game, but appeared in 28 games. Schofield finished the year averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. After failing to score in double figures in pre-conference play, he totaled 10 or more points nine different times in SEC play.
After signing with the Vols in the 2015 class, Schofield made 22 starts and averaged 18.7 minutes per game. He went on to average 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, shooting 44.4 percent from the field. He led the team in free-throw percentage (89.7). Schofield appeared in all 32 games as a freshman.
Last season, Washington finished with a 32-50 overall record, their worst season since they went 29-53 overall in the 2012-13 season. The Wizards selected Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura with the No. 9 overall pick in the first round.
Schofield becomes only the second Vol ever to be drafted by Washington in the NBA Draft. Doug Roth was taken with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 1989 NBA Draft by Washington — then the Bullets — and played in the NBA for three years.
