UNLV freshman small forward Derrick Jones intends to test the waters and make himself eligible for the 2016 NBA draft, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). Jones will hold off on hiring an agent, which will allow him the opportunity to withdraw prior to the May 25th deadline and return to school for his sophomore campaign, Rothstein adds.
Jones entered school as the No. 40 overall recruit according to the Recruiting Services Consensus Index and is a potential second-round pick according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who ranks him as the No. 48 overall freshman. The 6’6″ swingman appeared in 28 games for UNLV this season and averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 21.4 minutes per outing. His slash line for the campaign was .583/.189/.602.
The freshman’s season was cut short after he was ruled academically ineligible for the final four games because his ACT results were called into question by the NCAA. It’s unclear if the NCAA sanction will affect his eligibility for 2016/17, which could be a motivating factor in Jones trying his luck at the scouting combine this year, though that is merely my speculation.