Winners and losers from the NBA Draft declarations

Winners and losers of the NBA Draft declarations

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts to a play against the Auburn Tigers during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – MARCH 28: Jordan Bone #0 of the Tennessee Volunteers throws a pass against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at the KFC YUM! Center on March 28, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Loser: Tennessee

Apart from Virginia, which lost three starters off its national championship team, no top seed may be in worse shape after the draft declarations than Tennessee.

The Volunteers were atop the polls for a solid period in the middle of the season and got a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament only to get shot out of the Sweet 16 by Carsen Edwards and Purdue.

Rick Barnes was already bracing for life without Admiral Schofield, who graduated, but the Volunteers took big hits with the losses of their top potential returning players.

Forward Grant Williams and point guard Jordan Bone, who teamed with Schofield to power the Tennessee offense, both opted to remain in the draft.

Williams’ departure stings, especially since he could have a been a candidate for the national Player of the Year awards in his senior season, but it was not entirely unexpected.

An awesome junior season helped raise Williams’ stock to the point where he will likely be a first-round pick, making the choice to go and get a guaranteed NBA contract a no-brainer.

The loss of Bone, who had a breakout year at the point, is more surprising.

Bone wasn’t projected to be drafted at the start of the process, but he earned an invite to the NBA Combine and performed pretty well there, perhaps leading him to believe he can either get picked in the second round or earn his way into the NBA through the summer league.

Getting Bone back would have been a huge boost for Tennessee, which could built around a back court of him and Lamonte Turner to contend for another SEC title. Losing Williams, Schofield, and Bone should lower expectations in Knoxville next season.