Tennessee's Jaden Springer Declares For NBA Draft

What was once suspected has now become official, as Tennessee freshman guard Jaden Springer has declared for the NBA Draft.

Springer, 6-foot-4, led the Volunteers in scoring at 12.5 points. He is viewed as a first-round pick in the majority of mock drafts, in the Nos. 25-30 range.

His teammate at Tennessee, Keon Johnson, is also expected to declare for the draft, though he has not officially done so yet. Johnson, a 6-5 guard/forward, is viewed as a potential top-10 selection.

Springer's decision did not come as a surprise to Volunteers coach Rick Barnes, who addressed the strong possibility of Springer and Johnson departing.

“I would expect that they’ll do what everybody does now,” Barnes said after the season. “They’ll go through the process. That’s what they need to do. And they’ll go from there.”

Tennessee finished 18-9 and lost to Oregon State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.