Grant Williams declares for the 2019 NBA Draft

Following Jordan Bone’s lead, Tennessee’s star power forward Grant Williams has decided to declare for the 2019 NBA Draft. Williams, the back to back SEC Player of the Year, can still opt to return to Knoxville for his senior season, as long as he doesn’t sign an agent. He has to make that decision by May 29th.

Tennessee point guard Jordan Bone faces the same scenario.

“I will test the waters and enter the NBA Draft process,” Williams told the media on Tuesday. “I will not forgo my last season at the University of Tennessee with the capability of coming back to finishing what I started here. This process helps me gather information as a player and find out what I need to do to improve. I will use the new rules that allow a player to hire an agent to make the most informative decision as possible.”

It was a decision that came as no shock to fans, the media, and Williams’ coaches and teammates. The two-time SEC Player of the Year had his best year to date in 2018, finishing with career-high numbers across the board.

He was also named a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award.

The NBA Draft is set for June 20th, Williams can go through the draft process and withdraw from the draft before May 29th while still retaining his last year of eligibility at Tennessee.

He is currently projected as an early second-round pick.