Grading Leon Bond III Addition for Iowa State Basketball

What grade should the Iowa State Cyclones receive for the addition of Leon Bond III?

Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Northern Iowa guardLeon Bond III (35) answers a question at a press conference ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Coming off a really strong campaign, the Iowa State Cyclones had to make a lot of moves after the NCAA Tournament was over in order to rebuild their roster. 

As expected with such a great season, the Cyclones had some seniors that graduated and another player that left to test the NBA and the transfer portal. While the status surrounding Milan Momcilovic is still unknown, he won’t be coming back to Iowa State even if he passes on staying in the NBA Draft. 

Due to so much production leaving the program, head coach T.J. Otzelberger wasted no time getting to work in the transfer portal. Since taking over as the head coach for Iowa State, Otzelberger has done a really good job working the portal, and some of the best players on the team from last year were portal additions. 

Now, with a roster needing a lot of new talent, Otzelberger might have completed his best job yet in the portal. One of the players that he added was guard Leon Bond III from Northern Iowa. Here’s a grade for the addition. 

Bond Grade: B 

Northern Iowa Panthers forward Leon Bond III | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With a plethora of additions coming for the Cyclones in the transfer portal, there is a lot to like about the talented guard from Northern Iowa. At 6’5” and 200 pounds, he appears like he could be the replacement for Nate Heise in the hybrid guard/forward role. 

Bond is certainly a big player for a guard and will likely be seeing some time on the wing at the small forward position as well. Heise did a really nice job in that role, and at times even played some power forward to give Joshua Jefferson a rest. 

After transferring as a freshman from the Virginia Cavaliers to Northern Iowa, Bond has really seen a nice increase in production over the past few seasons. As a junior last year, he averaged 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. 

The numbers last year were pretty comparable to Heise, but he isn’t the same caliber of three-point shooter as him. However, as an all-defensive team member from his conference last year, he will fit in nicely with the identity of the Cyclones. 

If Bond does end up having a role like Heise for the team next year, he will be an important player. There is a lot to like about his game and while he might not be a perfect player, he can be a good depth piece for Iowa State.