Kentucky Wildcats forward Terrence Jones announced via twitter that he would be withdrawing his name from consideration for the 2011 NBA Draft and returning to school for a second season. When Jones declared for the draft he did not hire an agent, which preserved his opportunity to return to college. Needless to say, Kentucky fans are just a little bit excited about this development.
Jones has actually been a guy projected to the Golden State Warriors in a couple of mock drafts. The folks at NBADraft.net and ESPN’s Chad Ford both projected Jones to the Warriors with the eleventh pick of the first round. In his pick projection, Chad Ford had this to say about Jones to the Ws:
I’m not sure Jones is the answer here. He struggled in the second half of the season, and many scouts wonder whether he’s going to end up being a tweener in the mold of Al Harrington or Marvin Williams. But Jones’ upside and his versatility make him a potential upside pick at No. 11 — especially if he shows the ability to play the 3 alongside David Lee.
The question now is where the Warriors will go with the eleventh pick, assuming they don’t end up higher courtesy of the upcoming lottery. Jones’ decision to go back to school might be a blessing in disguise for the Warriors. They could use a more serious presence down low, although it might be tough to find that kind of player without a lottery victory.