UCLA Men's Basketball's Jules Bernard Testing NBA Draft Waters, Retains Eligibility

Bernard is currently following Peyton Watson to the pros, but has until June 1 to change his mind and return to the Bruins for his super senior year.

One of the Bruins’ backbones of the Mick Cronin era has elected to go pro.

UCLA men’s basketball guard Jules Bernard announced his declaration for the 2022 NBA Draft via an Instagram post Tuesday afternoon. The 6-foot-7 wing had the option to return for a super senior season in Westwood, but has ultimately decided to test the NBA waters.

However, Bernard said in his announcement that he is currently retaining his collegiate eligibility should he choose to return to school. That means he has either signed an NCAA certified agent or has not signed an agent at all.

Bernard is likely attempting to earn an invite to the NBA Scouting Combine in May, where he would receive feedback from scouts and executives regarding his pro prospects.

“Bruin Faithful,” Bernard wrote in his post. “Thank you for all your support these past four years. It has been an incredible run. As for my future — I have decided to enter my name in the 2022 NBA Draft while maintaining my collegiate eligibility. I'm super excited to start this process and I'm looking forward to taking steps toward achieving my dreams.”

Guard/forward Peyton Watson has already declared with an agent, forgoing the rest of his college eligibility, and guard/forward Jake Kyman has transferred to the University of Wyoming. With freshmen Dylan Andrews, Amari Bailey and Adem Bona joining the fold, the Bruins still need one more scholarship player to depart UCLA to make room for all three players.

If Bernard were to stay in the NBA Draft pool past the June 1 withdrawal deadline, he would be that final departing scholarship player needed to make room for the incoming class. On the other hand, if he decides to return, Bernard would only need to appear in 18 contests next year in order to break Michael Roll's all-time program record of 147 games played.

“Jules and I are in constant communication about his process,” Cronin said in a statement released by the team. “We are supporting Jules every way that we can, and we are excited for him to go through his evaluation and workout process over the next month. He has been a great Bruin and has improved as a player every season at UCLA. Should Jules decide to play as a super senior, we would be absolutely thrilled to have him back in Westwood.”

Bernard entered Westwood alongside five other freshmen in Steve Alford’s final season at UCLA. As the third highest-ranked player in the Bruins’ 2018 recruiting class coming out of Windward High School (CA), Bernard was a four-star prospect ranked No. 55 overall in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Bernard made three starts in 63 appearances across his first two years in the program, averaging 6.6 points in 16.7 minutes per game on .434/.344/.755 shooting splits with nearly twice as many turnovers than assists. Going from role player to regular starter during the 2020-2021 campaign, Bernard became an important member of the famed 2021 Final Four squad that took down the likes of Michigan State, BYU, Abilene Christian, Alabama and Michigan before falling to Gonzaga in a March Madness overtime classic.

In the 2021-2022 season, Bernard was one of two players — the other being center Myles Johnson — to have played in all 35 games for the Bruins. Starting all but one contest, Bernard averaged a career-high 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while also shooting 81.8% from the free-throw line, ranking No. 1 in the Pac-12.

Bernard averaged 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as an upperclassman, also shooting 35.9% from 3-point range across those two seasons. And after finishing 14th in the Pac-12 with an 11.6% turnover rate his junior year, Bernard had the lowest turnover rate in the conference at just 7.7% as a senior – nearly three times better than his freshman mark.

Alongside guard David Singleton and forward Cody Riley, both of whom have yet to publicize their plans for next season, Bernard was honored during the Bruins’ Senior Day festivities on March 5. UCLA is also still awaiting the decisions of Juzang and Johnson, but knows guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is coming back next fall.

Follow Royer on Twitter at @thebenroyer
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA men's basketball stories: UCLA Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated