Diamond Stone Declares for 2016 NBA Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

After one season with the Maryland Terrapins, center Diamond Stone declared for the 2016 NBA draft.

Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post noted on Monday, "[Stone] has declared and will hire agent, school announces."

The Milwaukee native entered his freshman season with the Terps with high expectations; he largely lived up to them, as he averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game on the year. He also captured the Big Ten Newcomer of the Year award despite no shortage of competition for that honor.

At 6'11" and 255 pounds, Stone was a dominant force in the paint at times and was able to impose his will on opponents with plays such as this one, via Big Ten Men's Hoops on Twitter:

Stone was plagued by inconsistency at times, though, which isn't necessarily uncommon for young players. He also wasn't as strong on the boards as most would expect from a player with his size and strength either, but he conceivably has the tools needed to be great in that regard at the next level provided he commits himself.

In addition to that, Stone created some concern about keeping his on-court emotions in check with a February incident that saw him push Wisconsin forward Vitto Brown's head into the floor. He was subsequently suspended one game and apologized for the poor judgment.

Stone was able to bounce back after that and establish himself as a hugely important part of Maryland's success, which is what makes losing him after one year such a tough pill to swallow for head coach Mark Turgeon and Co.

One-and-done players are the nature of the beast in college basketball, and Turgeon was likely well aware of that possibility when he recruited Stone, who was highly touted coming out of high school.

Even so, ESPN's Dan Dakich expressed his disappointment that Stone won't be around for years to come in a Big Ten Conference that has no shortage of big-man talent:

The 19-year-old star has all the makings of a first-round pick in the 2016 draft due to his size and skill, although it could be argued that another year of seasoning at the collegiate level would have improved Stone's stock even more.

Playing for free also comes with an inherent risk, though, as there is no guarantee that Stone wouldn't have injured himself and ruined his chances of being a first rounder in 2017.

Stone is still a fairly raw player who may need a great deal of development in the NBA before becoming an impact player, but teams are likely to invest in his immense potential, regardless.

Perhaps Stone's career at Maryland wasn't as long or fruitful as Terps fans hoped, but he did himself a service by being a key player on a highly ranked team.

That should lead to a lucrative NBA career.

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