Jordan Bone was the third of three Tennessee Volunteers selected Thursday night in the NBA draft.KNOXVILLE - With the NBA draft winding down Thursday night, Josh Bone had started what appeared to be a concession speech for his brother, former Tennessee guard Jordan - who looked as though he would not be one of the 60 players selected.
"I'm hurt right now," Josh told a crowd of well-wishers who had congregated at a private event in Nashville. "But, from this day on, if you're in this room " before seeing reaction from a crowd that rushed to the stage to mob an unsuspecting Jordan.
On the television that was above Jordan - whose back was to the screen and who was looking down at his phone - the 6-foot-3 point guard's name had just gone across the bottom scroll as the 57th pick of the draft to the New Orleans Pelicans, a pick that later was traded to the Atlanta Hawks and then was dealt to the Detroit Pistons.
The Volunteers' Bone had taken a huge risk in entering his name in the draft pool. At one point he wasn't listed as one of the top 100 draft prospects. A huge draft combine where he posted the best scores in the standing vertical jump, shuttle and lane agility drills showed his athletic ability, and a junior season in which he averaged 13.5 points and 5.8 assists with a 2.91 assist-to-turnover ratio showed his productive talent, yet questions remained.
In the end, Bone became the third Vol to hear his name called in the draft, the first time that's happened since 1977. Grant Williams was the 22nd pick to the Boston Celtics, and Admiral Schofield was selected 20 slots later by the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded the pick to the Washington Wizards. Schofield will be united with former Vol Jordan McRae, who signed a contract with the Wizards late this past season.
Tennessee's Grant Williams is all smiles after scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in an 83-64 victory against Wake Forest on Dec. 23, 2018, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
In one night, the number of Tennessee players in the NBA doubled from three to six. In addition to McRae, Tobias Harris just completed his eighth season in the league while Josh Richardson just finished his fourth. Richardson has played all four with the Miami Heat while Harris has played for five teams in eight years, most recently with the 76ers.
According to multiple reports, Bone's contract will be a two-way deal, which means he'll spend a bulk of the season in the NBA G-League and no more than 45 days with the Pistons' NBA team.
Schofield averaged 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds as a Tennessee senior, shooting 42 percent from 3-point range while making a team-high 74 3s.
"I've been watching (Schofield) the last three or four days because I knew we were trying to get involved in the second round," Wizards coach Scott Brooks told "The Sports Junkies" on 106.7 The Fan in Washington on Friday. "The two things that I really love about him are his athleticism and his toughness. He brings it. He's a strong kid. He's a strong athlete. He's a nice kid. I spoke to him last night and he's just so excited. When you get drafted, it's one of your favorite nights of your life."
Admiral Schofield dribbles during Tennessee's NCAA tournament first-round game against Colgate on March 22 in Columbus, Ohio.Williams became the first Tennessee player to be selected in the first round since Harris in 2011. The two-time Southeastern Conference player of the year and 2019 consensus first-team All-American finished his final season in Knoxville with averages of 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 57% from the field and 82% from the free-throw line.
"I was drafted by the best franchise possible," Williams told reporters Thursday night. "It's the most historic franchise in the league; it's a franchise that my grandfather talks about every single day, because it's his favorite team. I grew up watching Boston, and I was a fan the year they won the championship. My brother was a Laker fan in contrast, so we always competed in that.
"When I heard my name drafted to Boston, I just kind of sighed in relief. Because I know it's a great location, it's a great team, and it's a lot of great people around. (President of basketball operations) Danny Ainge is a fantastic basketball mind. Same with Brad Stevens, the head coach - he's a guy who knows the ins and outs of basketball, the X's and O's - and I couldn't be more excited to play for the Celtics."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.