NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Watch: Tre Jones

Weaknesses

Much of the skepticism surrounding Jones as he takes the next step and jump to the NBA revolves around his offensive services, beyond his ability to initiate a team’s offense.

That starts with his shooting abilities, which have improved year over year. The 20-year-old’s 3-point percentage jumped from 26.2 percent as a freshman to 36.1 percent as a sophomore on a steady, if not spectacular, volume of attempts (211 3-point attempts over Jones’ two years).

And while Jones offers up some dynamism hitting shots from three as well as mid-range off the dribble, the question of whether he will be able to deliver solid efficiency to act as a scoring threat in whatever role he tops out in is crucial for Jones moving forward. Jones’ career 76.7 free throw percentage does offer some hope that he’s on a positive trajectory in terms of his shooting touch and overall mechanics.

That’s exacerbated by Jones’ finishing and general struggles when forced to penetrate the paint, which was heavily exploited by non-NBA big men and taller defenders. Per Hoop-Math, Jones converted just 54 percent of his scoring opportunities at the cup.

Between his diminutive size and lack of explosion and vertical athleticism, Jones’ craft on touch shots (i.e. runners, floaters) in the paint will be crucial to develop in order to navigate against NBA-level rim protectors as well as within crowds of defenders.