Well that makes 2 likely high draft picks that have walked away from the NBA Draft this year (Jared Sullinger being the other), and I've heard that Harrison Barnes is likely to follow suit and stay in school. On the college landscape this is big, as this will likely put Baylor in the top 15 to start the year, and this team will have as much talent as anyone in the country. They will have Jones, Anthony Jones, freshman Quincy Miller, senior-to-be dunking machine Quincy Acy, and redshirt freshman Cory Jefferson along the front line, which is the type of length and athleticism that would make Jim Boeheim cry with joy if he was able to get them to run his 2-3 zone at Syracuse. I'm sure Baylor will be running a lot of 2-3 zone next year as well, and it will be interesting to see what Scott Drew can get out of his team. He has never really struck me as a great motivator or tactician, just a very good recruiter, even if he is the most notorious negative recruiter in the entire country. Every coach in the Big XII (err, 10? What are they calling that conference now anyway?) absolutely despises Scott Drew because he recruits players to his school by taking dumps on all the others that are competing for that players services. Whatever works for you Scott, although I'd recommend getting something out of your talent next year, cause if you get canned at Baylor, no one else is hiring you as an assistant because, well, they all hate you.
As for Jones, I'm stunned that he is coming back to school. He was a likely top 3 pick in a draft that was already weakened by Jared Sullinger coming back to school. With all reports saying that Harrison Barnes is leaning towards coming back too, it would seem that someone like Jones would be more likely to enter, especially considering that his family has had financial issues in his past (remember that he was suspended for 6 games because his mother took 3 seperate loans from an AAU coach to pay her rent while he was in high school. Perry didn't even know about it, and his mother paid back the each loan as soon as she got her next paycheck. Meanwhile, Jim Calhoun gets to cut down the nets and wait til next year before he gets suspended. NCAA you are better than that). Maybe he was scared away by the potential lockout, or he felt he wasn't mentally ready to be a pro. I can't say I know for sure.
Jones profiles as a power forward in my eyes at the next level, with the ability to play inside and out. What strikes you first about him is how long he is and how incredibly fluid he is out on the floor. He is quick changing directions, jumps well, has long arms, moves well laterally, and has the frame to get stronger without losing any of that mobility. He also has advanced ball handling skills for a big man, evidenced by quite a few coast to coast forays this year, while also possessing decent mechanics on his shot. His athleticism and ball handling should allow him to be a good shot creator at the next level once he gets a little bit stronger, whether he's facing up a bigger guy or posting up a smaller one.
However, it doesn't appear that the man has a motor, and he is often cruising in and out of games. The one name I've seen associated with Jones more than everyone else is Tim Thomas. That's not a comparison anyone should aspire too, as Thomas was a classic example of getting the least out of your ability guys in NBA history (although he was the man behind one of the greatest cold blooded shots I have ever seen. And the clip has a Nikoloz Tskitshvili sighting. Nice). Since he is going back to school, Jones will need to prove that he is going to come to play every night and show some improvement in his game next year. Improving a skill or 2 significantly will show that he's willing to put in the work on his game to get better, easing some scouts concern about his desire and work ethic.
In the end, I think his decision was based largely on the likely implementation of the 2 and done draft rule. I seems to be a foregone conclusion that the rule will be implemented, and it is going to make next years draft a very weak one, as none of the incoming freshman next year will be able to enter the draft. I guess Jones liked his chances better of going number 1 next year against weaker competition. Plus, with all of his physical tools, he probably feels he controls his own destiny for that spot, and he has put it on himself to prove to those scouts that he should be number one by playing hard every night and improving during the summer. That's risky for sure, but it's admirable that he thinks he can prove his doubters wrong. Whether or not he accomplishes that remains to be seen, and it is something I will be watching next year when he is on the floor. His progress from this year to next year should tell us everything we need to know about what kind of player he will become at the next level.
No comments:
Post a Comment