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From Grant Williams to Admiral Schofield, and even Jordan Bone and Kyle Alexander, Jordan Bowden has plenty of former Tennessee Volunteers teammates he can lean on this year for advice and direction during the pre-draft process.
The Knoxville native is taking advantage of it, too.
Of course, the process this year, in particular, is different than any player has previously experienced. The coronavirus pandemic has completely shifted things around and prospects now are all-too-familiar with Zoom meetings, and even application-based workouts.
The procedures may have changed this year but the information NBA teams gather from interviews remains the same. Executives still want to know what a player is like, on and off of the court, and how they handle various questions that can be hard to answer.
“I talk to Grant, Admiral, Jordan Bone and Kyle Alexander, they all went through this process,” Bowden told Rookie Wire. “Some of the things they told me are just be yourself, show the teams who you are and just enjoy the process and have fun with it.”
He played four years at Tennessee and spent three seasons as teammates with Williams, Schofield, Bone and Alexander. They helped form a dynamic group and led the Volunteers to two appearances in the NCAA tournament, including a near trip to the Elite Eight in 2019.
Bowden averaged a career-high 13.7 points, four rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal as a senior in 31 games played last season. The 23-year-old left Tennessee as one of only four players in program history to total 1,000 points, 450 rebounds and 250 assists during a career.
The four years spent at Tennessee helped shape Bowden as a person. Growing up in Knoxville, Bowden said it was a dream come true to don the orange and white and it was an experience that he will never forget as the hometown kid.
“Tennessee really prepares you. People don’t think we can play, you know?” Bowden said. “Everybody talks about the guys from Kentucky and everything like that — guys at U.T. are really underrated. They are really good. Coach [Rick] Barnes pushed me to my limit and he has really prepared me for the next level.”
“I feel like I’m a totally different player … My confidence is sky-high.”
The Volunteers’ season ended abruptly on March 11 when the SEC announced the cancellation of the men’s basketball tournament. Bowden and the rest of his teammates were inside the locker room when they found out their game was canceled, which, subsequently, ended his collegiate career.
“I was thinking that we were going to be able to play later that night or something but we got back on the bus and they told us the tournament was canceled and then right there I just wanted to cry,” Bowden said. “My senior season wasn’t how I wanted it to be but playing in the SEC tournament, I really thought it could shift around. It really sucked at the end of the day but I knew it was bigger than basketball with everyone’s safety.”
Once his season came to a conclusion, Bowden returned home to Knoxville. He, along with other prospects in the draft, has benefitted from the extended offseason and has used that time to improve virtually every area of his game. He found a gym, through his former AAU coach, where he could train every day and he has spent much of his eight-month hiatus from competitive basketball in the gym.
“I feel like I’m a totally different player,” Bowden said. “My confidence is sky-high and just being able to tweak all the things I’m pretty good at and also my weaknesses. The main focus I wanted to work on is my ball-handling, better shot selection. What are the shots that I’m good at? Just trying to perfect everything.”
Another killer workout with @_iamjbow The grind doesn't stop! You can postpone the @NBA draft, but not the grind! #priority1athletics #vfl #thegrindisnecessary pic.twitter.com/frddxyj8xT
— Sean Green (@priority1hoops) September 11, 2020
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many prospects were not invited to the draft combine and faced difficulties getting their information to teams. To help combat the hurdles many players faced, the NBA G League offered a way to allow them to showcase their abilities.
Bowden was one of a select number of draft hopefuls that participated in this virtual evaluation. The prospects recorded workouts and on-court drills on HomeCourt, a mobile basketball training application, and the results were shared with teams throughout the league.
Players went through eight shooting drills and took 50 shot attempts from various locations on the floor, including spot-up shots, mid-range, 3-pointers, etc. Each shooting drill could be completed a maximum of three times and only the best score was uploaded into the NBA player evaluation platform for teams to see.
Prospects also took part in a revamped Pro Day to showcase their game in a unique 45-minute workout video. They were prohibited from matching up against other players but could utilize their strengths in a half-court setting with the assistance of up to two coaches or trainers, who were required to wear masks and gloves.
“It went really well. I shot the ball really well,” Bowden said of the evaluation. “Obviously, you can’t play 5-on-5 during this time right now so I’m just showing teams my strengths being able to knock down open shots, show them my athletic ability and also how I can guard the best players on the opposing team. Just being that two-way kinda guy.”
“I really think I’m one of the best guards in the draft, especially two-way guys.”
When it comes to the draft, Bowden isn’t projected by any major outlet to hear his name called next week but that hasn’t deterred his drive and willingness to prove his doubters wrong.
Draft prospects see others before them that have had unique paths to becoming regular contributors at the next level and know that anything is possible with hard work and determination. Of course, one player that has captivated the basketball community in recent memory is Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson.
Before attending Michigan, Robinson attended a D-III school and eventually went undrafted before joining the Heat organization. He spent one season in the G League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce before he became one of the best shooters in the NBA and a starter on a team that went to the NBA Finals.
The work Robinson put in hasn’t gone unnoticed by Bowden and others.
“I was talking to one of my friends and I was telling them about Duncan Robinson and his journey and how I use him as motivation and an uplifter for me being the underrated guy coming out of college,” Bowden said. “Just because you go undrafted doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world and basketball is over for you. It just gives you another step in your journey that you have to overcome.”
Bowden has spoken to a dozen teams to some degree during the pre-draft process and feels as though his four-year experience at Tennessee can help him greatly during the transition to the next level. He was tasked with being a leader last season and knows teams look for that trait.
The work Bowden has put in over the past eight months has his confidence at an all-time high and it is precisely that conviction that has him feeling that his game can match up with any guard in the draft this year.
“I feel like I match up with them well,” Bowden said. “I’ve played against most of them throughout my college career. Just being able to work on my game after college and me being a whole different player, I really think I’m one of the best guards in the draft, especially two-way guys. I put the work in so I have really prepared.”
The future for Bowden, like every prospect, is uncertain at this time but the friendships and the growth he experienced at Tennessee helped prepared him for whatever lies next in his career.
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