Leon Bond is first Virginia player to enter the transfer portal: Good move for Bond, program

Redshirt freshman Leon Bond is the first member of the Virginia roster from 2023-2024 to hit the transfer portal.

The move is a good one for both Bond and the program, given the lack of fit of Bond’s game with Tony Bennett’s offensive and defensive schemes.

Bond is listed at 6’5”, 200 pounds, but lacks a perimeter game – he was 8-of-33, 24.2 percent, on jumpers this past season, per data from Synergy Sports – and is too small to be effective in the post in the ACC.

Bond put up double-digits in four early-season games, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the 80-50 win over Tarleton State in the Nov. 6 season opener, 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the 80-51 win over North Carolina A&T on Nov. 14, 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the 77-47 win over North Carolina Central on Dec. 5, and 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the 79-44 win over Morgan State on Dec. 27.

In games against Power 5 opponents, though, Bond was overmatched – he scored a total of 26 points, shooting 12-of-48 (25.0 percent) from the field, in 163 minutes over 17 games, with 10 DNP-Coach’s Decisions.

Bond would seem to be a better fit with a program that spreads the floor more to create space for players to take advantage of one-on-one matchups.

He would seem to be the kind of guy who could be a double-digit scorer for a program in a conference a level down from the ACC.

For Virginia, this opens up a scholarship for Bennett to use to address needs via the transfer portal. It’s presumed that four-year starter Reece Beekman will not use his extra year of eligibility from the COVID redshirt, so this would be a second scholarship for Bennett to use for his 2024-2025 roster.

The most immediate need is for a shooting, rebounding big to replace Jake Groves, a 6’9” shooter who was not a rebounder, but was used more than he should have been as a stretch five.

The other obvious need is just for guys who can shoot the ball, was a glaring issue down the stretch for the 2023-2024 group, which didn’t reach the 50-point mark in five of its last nine games, as the 19-5 start to the season turned into a disappointing 23-11 final mark.