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BIO
Kai
Jones
Draft Profile
PLAYER COMPARISON
Christian Wood/Jaren Jackson Jr.
Strengths: Jones is an explosive athlete who plays with one of the highest motors in all of college basketball … He can jump through the roof and finish with authority while doing so … Very fast in the open floor with quick feet to get open or defend small opponents on the perimeter … Powerful and athletic stretch five who can defend on the perimeter and in the post … Stretches the floor with his ability to knock down threes … Capable ball-handler who can beat large defenders on the dribble and lead in transition … Soars for rebounds and rim-runs as he has a high vertical and body control to adjust in the air … Potential to defend one through five because of his athleticism and quickness … Lengthy big who uses his long arms to his advantage around the rim with flexible dunks and blocks above the rim … Can hit jumpers off the dribble in the mid-range and on the perimeter … Extra year at Texas served him well with much improved shooting and more minutes … Superstar potential because of his size, athleticism, and perimeter shooting ability … Shoots 63% inside the arc despite tendency to shoot mid-range shots as well … Long legs and explosive first step unlock slashing ability in match-ups with traditional centers who cannot hang with his speed … Defensive versatility allows him to play as a traditional big or alongside another center, which he has done alongside Jericho Sims at Texas … 39% three-point shooter, a 10% increase from his freshman year, showing his rapid development and superstar potential … Improved Net Rating from 8.9 to 24.1 from his freshman year to sophomore year … Freak athlete and potential make him one of the most intriguing NBA prospects whose draft stock has soared all season long into the late-lottery or mid-first round …
Weaknesses: Jones stands at 6’11 but at 220 lbs, currently lacks the strength to hold position in the paint with powerful big men … The Big-12 Championship game showed flashes of limitless potential, but foul trouble and poor decisions limited him to only 18 minutes … Only averaged 22 minutes per game and just under 9 points per game, which are noticeably low for someone with the skillset of Jones … Despite his size and high vertical, he only averaged five rebounds per game and less than 9 rebounds per 40 minutes. While he often competes with running mate Jericho Sims, the smaller senior averages 12 rebounds per 40 minutes and often creates more of an impact in the paint than Jones … Even with his impressive ball-handling and body control for his size, Jones does not rack up assists or showcase playmaking ability … His leaping ability and length should induce more than 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game even with his limited playing time … Nearly three fouls per game in only 22 minutes provides plenty of room for improvement
INFO nbadraft.net
PPG 8.8
APG 0.6
RPG 4.8
STL 0.8
BLK 0.9
FGP .580
2P% .642
3P% .382
STATS
Chris Fedor
“Kai Jones’ numbers don’t point to a potential top 10 pick. His intriguing skill set does. The bouncy 20-year-old big man plays above the rim on offense and has the athleticism and mobility to be a multi-positional defensive weapon. There’s always a steep learning curve for big men transitioning from college to the pros. It could take even longer for Jones, who didn’t start playing organized hoops until high school.”
The Ringer
“Lethal rim-running threat: He’s a bouncy athlete who gets above the rim with ease for lobs, and a coordinated ball handler if he needs to put it on the floor to get to the basket. If he catches the ball from a standstill, he has the patience to use pump fakes to draw defenders, then the explosive verticality to score through contact…Fluid pulling up for jumpers off the dribble. The results aren’t there yet, but bigs who can generate their own shots from the perimeter are hard to find…Still learning the game after picking it up at age 15, so he occasionally misses off-ball rotations or finds himself in the wrong position as the help defender in the pick-and-roll. It’ll be a steep learning curve, so the team that drafts him will need to make a major investment in him.”