Jones is one of the better passer in the draft and is especially effective at drawing help defenders to setup a dish when he drives into the pain. Unlike so many other players in this draft, Jones is able to get into the paint at will. He has enough size to play a little bit at each guard position, but his ideal situation is as a change of pace, scoring point guard.
xBA Comparison: Rodney Stuckey
Strengths: Powerfully built combo guard with a polished offensive game ... An instant offense type of player who is capable of big scoring outbursts ... Has developed into a mature, polished guard with a good grasp of the game ... Strong leader who has gained a lot of confidence in his game and plays with a swagger ... Shows diverse offensive skills, with an excellent outside shot plus the ability to create off the dribble ... Understands how to use his strength to create space and finish at the rim ... An solid athlete who makes up for his lack of size with craftiness ... Owns a solid first step and the shiftiness to keep defenders off balance ... Effectively creates offense for himself and others off the dribble ... Has good form on his shot with a quick and compact release ... Fundamentally sound player who does everything on balance and with a purpose ... Uses his strength to post up defenders effectively ... Competitive, high energy player who always gives strong effort ... Handles the ball with ease and rarely makes unforced errors ... Possesses excellent vision and passing ability, which is impressive considering his scoring prowess ... Equally effective playing on or off the ball ... His excellent ball skills should allow him to play some point guard in spot duty ... Effectively utilizes the teardrop instead of taking drives all the way into shot blocking bigmen ... Works hard, using sharp cuts running his defender off picks to free himself for shots off the ball ...
Weaknesses: A tweener lacking a true NBA position but shows the ability to play either guard spot and appears destined to settle into the 2G spot ... Lack of size limits his potential to a degree ... Struggled to play up to his ability before his junior year ... Outside shot has been riddled with inconsistency. Shot can be streaky ... Not an overwhelmingly explosive athlete, but has the hops and strength to finish at the rim ... His lack of size lends to questions about his ability to create shots against longer and more athletic defenders. How big an effect will this have on his effectiveness ... Doesn't get huge lift on his jumpshot, which due to his size is a slight concern ...
The most impressive aspect of Jones’ resume is his 46.5% scoring ratio, indicating that he scores at least a point on nearly half of his extremely high 21.6 possessions per-game. The level of efficiency ranks first in this group, and his .976 PPP and 11% shots fouled are well above average as well. Jones is both a high usage and high efficiency scorer, which is a rare combination to find.
With nearly 20% of his touches coming in transition, Jones gets to the line better than any of his peers on the break, drawing a trip to the line on 21.6% of those possessions. The USF product doesn’t excel in any one particular offensive situation, though he is a solid isolation player. Much of his success comes from his ability to finish at the rim. His 1.22 points per-possession as a finisher place him third amongst this group. That quality should lend itself well to the NBA.
The reason Jones doesn’t excel in any one particular area is because he isn’t a terribly efficient jump shooter. An average shooter when left open off the catch (39%), and a below average pull up shooter (32.4%), Jones’s dynamic ability to get to the rim, create contact, and finish make him an intriguing guard with potential at both positions, but to become a more serviceably player in a smaller role, he’ll need to hone his long-range jumper. If he does, watch out.
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