Jordan Bowden totaled five points, three assists and two rebounds in 12 minutes for Los Angeles. He converted 2-of-7 field goal attempts and 1-of-5 three-point attempts.
The Brooklyn Nets have made their first set of cuts ahead of the start of the 2020-21 NBA season.
Jordan Bowden and Nate Sestina’s run at Brooklyn Nets camp has already come to an end. Only 10 days after the two were officially added to the franchise’s training camp roster, the Nets announced they have requested waivers on both Bowden and Sestina. As a result, there are now 18 players on Brooklyn’s roster.
Both Bowden and Sestina went undrafted this year after putting together impressive four-year collegiate careers. Both finished their runs at the NCAA level playing in the SEC, but Sestina wasn’t featured on Kentucky’s roster until 2019-20 after spending his previous years in the Patriot League with Bucknell — whereas, Bowden wore Tennessee orange in each one of the 132 collegiate games he played.
Bowden and Sestina could be candidates to join Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, depending on what happens in the waiver process. According to Adam Zagoria of Forbes, Long Island is expected to opt-in to the G League bubble in Atlanta.
NBA training camp is underway and the Brooklyn Nets have established which 20 players will work out for them leading up to 2020-21.
Kentucky forward Nate Sestina has officially been added to the Brooklyn Nets training camp roster after his name was not called in this year’s draft. Fellow undrafted rookie Jordan Bowden, a guard out of Tennessee, has also been added to the Nets training camp roster.
Jeremiah Martin remains with the team on a two-way deal.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is still with the team after the deadline (November 29) passed for the Nets to waive him before his contract became guaranteed.
After that, there were no surprises with the roster:
Jarrett Allen
Bruce Brown
Chris Chiozza
Nicolas Claxton
Spencer Dinwiddie
Kevin Durant
Jeff Green
Joe Harris
Kyrie Irving
Tyler Johnson
DeAndre Jordan
Rodions Kurucs
Caris LeVert
Reggie Perry
Taurean Prince
Landry Shamet
The one player who seemed to have a chance to rejoin the Nets for the 2019-20 season was veteran guard Jamal Crawford. However, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner remains unsigned.
For Knoxville native Jordan Bowden, friendships and development at Tennesee helped prepare him for the NBA pre-draft process.
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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.”
(Photo by Randy Sartin/USA TODAY Sports)
“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.”
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.”
(Photo by Randy Sartin/USA TODAY Sports)
“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.
Rookie Wire obtained every detail possible about the NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process, including all of the known invitations sent.
Rookie Wire obtained every detail possible about the NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process, including all of the known invitations sent.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many draft-eligible prospects not invited to the NBA combine have had trouble getting all of their information to team-decision makers in advance of the 2020 NBA Draft. To combat this, the NBA G League is offering a greater opportunity to be evaluated by team decision-makers.
This information included below was shared with USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire on the condition of anonymity because the person who shared the details was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Per source: Even though the G League Elite Camp was canceled this year, a "select number" of prospects who did not get NBA Combine invites have received invitations to participate in virtual evaluations and an NBA Pro Day. This includes eight shooting drills and an open workout.
While the G League Elite Camp was canceled this year, a “select number” of participants were given the chance to share virtual evaluations through both shooting drills and an NBA pro day.
Prospects who agreed to participate will use HomeCourt, a mobile basketball training application, to record on-court workouts. The results will be shared with NBA team staffers through the app.
Players were encouraged to have two staffers with them in the gym to assist with the process. The coaches and trainers were required to wear a face mask and gloves during the workout.
NBA Evaluation: 8 Shooting Drills (based on previous editions of the Draft Combine)
Warm-Up/free-throws (50 shots)
Spot-Up shooting (50 shots)
Shooting off dribble/pull-up jumpers (30 shots)
Mid-Range/off the catch (20 shots)
3-point drill /3-pointers off the catch (20 shots)
Side-mid-side/3-point jumpers on the move (2 minutes)
3-point endurance/catch-and-shoot at game speed (5 minutes)
Cool down/free-throws (50 shots)
Each shooting drill can be completed a max of three times. Only the best score is uploaded into the NBA Player Evaluation platform for all NBA teams to access the data and video.
This is how the results look, as obtained by Babcock Hoops’ Derek Murray:
Per source, John Mooney’s combine shooting numbers:
Mooney averaged 16.2 PTS and 12.7 REB last season at Notre Dame. He recently signed with Perth in Australia with an NBA out clause included in the contract. pic.twitter.com/pD8FwaCiu1
This workout allows the draft prospect to share the unique
aspects of his game through a 45-minute open workout.
Players are prohibited from partaking in live competition against any other draft-eligible and/or other players, including: informal scrimmages, pick-up games (e.g., 2-on-2), defensive drills (e.g., pick-and-roll coverage, post defense, etc.), offensive drills (e.g., Pick-and-Roll / Pop situations)
Pro Day must be a half-court workout.
Pro Day is an open workout for up to 45 minutes. If a player does NOT use the full 45 minutes, that is OK.
Must be completed on the same date as shooting drills. The player is allowed a 10-minute break in between.
KNOWN INVITATIONS
USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire was able to obtain a list of prospects invited to participate in this process. Note that others may have been included as well, though these were the names we can confirm at this time.
KNOXVILLE — Jordan Bowden has had his offensive struggles lately, but he and John Fulkerson made some late big plays to help Tennessee’s men’s basketball team to a 56-55 Southeastern Conference victory over South Carolina Saturday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Bowden made a crucial save off an errant in-bounds pass from Drew Pember and grabbed the ball just before it went out of bounds allowing time to expire.
Prior to Bowden’s big play that saved the ball and the win for Tennessee (10-5 overall, 2-1 in the SEC), Fulkerson took a late charge to give the Volunteers the opportunity to run out the clock and capture its first home conference win of the season.
In addition to standing his ground late, Fulkerson had a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds (including eight defensive boards). He also had one of Tennessee’s season-high 11 blocked shots.
Defense was key for the Vols as they would win ugly in a game where UT went 15-for-54 from the field. They were also 6-for-31 from beyond the 3-point arc.
But Pember and Josiah-Jordan James had consecutive long-range jumpers to give the Big Orange a 51-44 lead with 7 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game.
Tennessee never trailed after that.
Santiago Vescovi scored 13 points and James added 10 for the Vols, who trailed 26-25 at halftime and endured multiple long scoring droughts.
The Gamecocks (8-7, 0-2 SEC) got 17 points from Maik Kotsar and 15 from Jermaine Couisnard.
Yves Pons blocked five shots for Tennessee, which travels to Georgia Wednesday night.
Wisconsin faces Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.
After picking up a much-needed victory over Milwaukee at home last weekend, Wisconsin (6-5) hits the road to Knoxville to take on Tennessee (8-3) on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers and Volunteers have split the four previous contests in this series, with Wisconsin winning a 74-62 decision at the 2016 Maui Invitational in the last meeting.
Wisconsin has lost four of its last six leading into Saturday’s matchup, though it was able to take care of business in a 83-64 victory over Milwaukee the last time out. Tennessee has fallen on some hard times as well as of late, dropping two of its last three. The Volunteers lost to No. 12 Memphis and Cincinnati before breaking their losing streak in a 75-53 win over Jacksonville State last Saturday.
Though I would expect this to be a close contest, Tennessee is certainly the favorite to come out on top in the end; we all know how awful the Badgers have played on the road this season, and though the Volunteers did lose one of their top players recently with Lamonte Turner’s decision to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, head coach Rick Barnes still has a pretty strong rotation.
Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest.
Bowden has taken a big leap this season after serving as the fourth or fifth option on Tennessee’s loaded roster last year.
An excellent shooter, the 6-5 senior from Knoxville has become the team’s leading scorer this season. However, with Turner – who was their No. 2 scorer and one of the top facilitators in the nation at 7.1 assists per game – now sidelined, the Volunteers will need Bowden to step up and shoulder an even greater share of the offensive load.
Bowden has scored at least 11 points in all but two of Tennessee’s games this year and is coming off of his second-highest scoring total of the season (19 points) in its win last Saturday against Jacksonville State.
Dec 14, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Yves Pons (35) moves the ball against Memphis Tigers forward Precious Achiuwa (55) during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
As with Bowden, Pons has assumed a far greater role for the Volunteers this season compared to last.
One of the freakier athletes in college basketball, the 6-6 junior from France has always had major potential, and he now appears to be putting it all together. Pons’ minutes have skyrocketed from 11.7 to 32.6 minutes per game this season, and he has poured in at least 10 points in eight of 11 games while averaging over nine points more than he did in 2018-19.
Pons is also second on the team in rebounding and third in the SEC in blocks per game. He rejected a school-record six shots in Tennessee’s last game.
James was one of the nation’s top high school recruits in the class of 2019, earning five-star status and the No. 22 spot in the 247Sports composite national rankings and making a trip to the McDonald’s All-American Game. Unsurprisingly, the 6-6- combo guard from Charleston, S.C. has been an instant-impact addition for Tennessee this season.
He’s struggled a bit to knock down shots, but he’s still making an impact in the scoring column, and his production should increase moving forward with Turner out of the lineup. James is also second on the team in assists, and his rebounding average is the highest of any Volunteer and all SEC freshmen.
While he hasn’t put up the kind of numbers we often see from highly-touted freshman, there’s no question James has still established himself as one of Tennessee’s top players. He may not be a sure-fire “one and done” player destined for the first round in this year’s NBA draft as things stand today, but he still looks to have a bright future at the next level ahead of him and will undoubtedly be the top pro prospect on the floor in this matchup.
After over a month of the college basketball season, we are starting to get a better picture of what the 2020 NBA Draft will look like.
After over a month of the college basketball season, we are starting to get a better picture of what the 2020 NBA draft will look like.
For example, Georgia Bulldogs freshman Anthony Edwards is beginning to separate himself as a near-consensus No. 1 overall pick. On the other side of the coin, though, several of the projected top selections (LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, Cole Anthony and RJ Hampton) will miss extended time due to either injury or suspension.
In order to get a better read of the bigger picture, we collected opinions from the top experts and analysts that cover the draft. The latest 2020 NBA mock drafts from ESPN, CBS Sports, SI.com, Bleacher Report, NBADraft.net, The Athletic as well as USA Today Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire were used for these rankings.
Cassius Winston, Aaron Henry, Xavier Tillman in top-45 of The Athletic's NBA Draft Big Board https://t.co/LFrVsMcvZD
One of the most interesting takeaways is that the Michigan State Spartans have three players (Cassius Winston, Aaron Henry and Xavier Tillman) all trending up.
After making the Final Four in last year’s March Madness, the program was expected to take another leap forward for their 2019-20 campaign.
Despite three losses in their first 10 games, the Spartans still rank No. 15 overall this season. This can be attributed to the fact Michigan State currently has the third-best offense in college basketball, per KenPom.com.
They also have three of the most improved players since our last aggregate mock draft. The full list, and more on each of the MSU players moving up draft boards, is included below.
Since our last AMD, this has moved up 17 spots in our rankings.
Despite already being 21 years old, the 6-foot-1 guard currently has a first-round grade from ESPN as well as Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.
Winston has been one of the best distributors since he began at MSU. 67.1 percent of all field goals for the Spartans have been assisted, which is the sixth-most among all teams so far this season. His career assist rate (44.1 percent) ranks No. 1 overall among all college players who have played at least 50 games since 2009-10, via Sports-Reference.
With 7 assists today vs Rutgers, Cassius Winston now has the 2nd-most career assists (770) in Big Ten History, passing Illinois’ Bruce Douglas.
Winston is now just 46 assists behind Mateen Cleaves for the conference career record (816). pic.twitter.com/BLzMQGjpzx
During his freshman season, he had the second-best assist rate (46.7 percent) in the NCAA. Then as a sophomore, his assist rate (43.5 percent) trailed only Trae Young for the best in college basketball. Last season, his assist mark (44.8 percent) ranked third-best and behind only Ja Morant among all who played for teams that made the tournament.
But he has also shown strength as one of the more accurate shooters in the NCAA.
Winston was 75-for-151 (49.7 percent) from beyond the arc in 2017-18. That helped him join the exclusive 50-40-90 club for field-goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage. Even as a sophomore then, the guard was one of the few to have a membership with at least two three-point attempts per game.
There is some enough NBA readiness to show he can contribute right away for a winning team.
Aaron Henry, Wing
AMD Rank: 33
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Since our last AMD, this has moved up 26 spots in our rankings.
Henry was of the players who helped himself the most during the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Then a freshman, he put up 20 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists during a victory over LSU.
While he has not yet taken the leap some expected as a sophomore, draft experts still have confidence in him as a prospect. His highest ranking right now comes from Jonathan Wasserman, who has him at No. 28 overall (via Bleacher Report):
“The eye test on Henry looks more convincing than the numbers. He isn’t a high-level creator, which limits him in Michigan State’s offense. But the 6’6″ guard is hitting open shots, capitalizing on driving lanes and making impact defensive plays. This late, teams will overlook Henry’s production for his fit.”
Perhaps the best news for the wing is that there is room for improvement. However, there have also been moments that show what Henry is capable of accomplishing at the next level.
This season, for example, the sophomore has been one of the most effective shooters off the catch. He is averaging 1.78 points per possession on catch-and-shoot attempts in a set offense, per Synergy Sports, which ranks in the 98th percentile.
Henry is also shooting 72.7 percent at the rim, which is an especially solid rate for a wing. Overall, he looks like someone capable of being a 3-and-D player in an NBA rotation.
Xavier Tillman, Big
AMD Rank: 50
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Since our last AMD, this has moved up 13 spots in our rankings.
Michigan State has always been a team that plays better with Tillman on the court. Last season, for example, the big actually had the third-best box plus-minus in the NCAA — trailing only Zion Williamson and Brandon Clarke.
Jeremy Woo recently helped contextualize what professional teams may like about the 6-foot-8 junior (via SI.com):
“Tillman specializes in doing the dirty work and has been a largely unheralded yet invaluable piece of the Spartans’ success dating back to last season. He’s not particularly tall for a center but has a chance to be a quality rotational big in the pros with what he adds defensively and on the glass. Tillman has worked on extending his shooting range, and if he ends up being able to shoot the three, he’ll have a fairly strong window of opportunity as a role player. A lot of the things he does as a screener and defender don’t show up in the box score, and while he’ll never be more than a fourth or fifth offensive option, he might be able to thrive in that capacity.”
His best trait so far this season has been his ability to cut to the basket. He is shooting 15-for-17 (88.2 percent) on these attempts, per Synergy.
But he has also added value on the offensive glass and as a rim protector for Michigan State. His willingness and ability to make the most of time on the floor makes him a draftable professional prospect.
