There are few prospects in this year’s NBA draft that combined the size, weight, and quickness of the Weber State senior. He’s unusual and in a league full of the most talented athletes in the world, Jones seems somewhat special.
The 22-year-old measured 6-foot-4.5 at the combine, a relatively unimpressive number for an NBA prospect. But what’s unusual about Jones is his 6-foot-11 wingspan coupled with his 237-pound weight and the fact that he finished second among all prospects in the shuttle run drill.
Those measurables coupled with his impressive box score stats this past year appear to have landed him on the radar for the Toronto Raptors who will reportedly work out the Sunrise Christian Prep graduate ahead of next month’s NBA draft, according to HoopsHype.
Jones averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this past year while shooting 48.9% from the field. He was a very good free-throw shooter but hasn’t shown much as a three-point shooter yet and that’ll put a cap on how intriguing he is as a prospect.
What’s clear, though, is Jones has some advantages on the court. He uses his body to beat smaller guards, creating space by leaning into defenders to nail mid-range jumpers and score in the post. He’s a good playmaker for his size with plenty of on-ball offensive experience playing for a good mid-major program.
How that’ll translate to the next level is what NBA scouts are trying to figure out.
Jones’ role will shrink considerably moving forward and how he plays off the ball is a bit of a question. He lacks some explosiveness that’ll limit his ability scoring inside and the fact that he’s a bit of a tweener could work against him. If he can’t defend quicker guards and isn’t big enough to defend wings, it’s not hard to see him struggling to get playing time.
It’s unlikely Toronto is looking at Jones at No. 19 but he’s a more interesting player in the second round where the Raptors currently own the No. 31 pick. That seems to be a little higher than most mock draft makers have Jones projected to go, but if the Raptors are looking for an older prospect who could be a mismatch creator off the bench, Jones certainly fits the description.
