DraftExpress: Yes. Why do I get this question 10x per day? RT @8thInnMackness So you believe Perry Jones is a PF in the pros and Quincy Miller is a SF? 2011-12-26 02:51:11
DraftExpress: Watched Baylor-West Virginia DVR'd from y'stday. Great game. Kevin Jones' senior year is definitely for real. Really got best of Perry Jones 2011-12-24 01:15:45
DraftExpress: RT @MrMichaelLee: Great line by @stanverrett on Baylor lottery prospect Perry Jones, who made debut Tues. "I think he got some genetic i ... 2011-11-30 09:26:12
DraftExpress: Top NBA Prospects in the Big 12, Part One http://t.co/4jF65E6r Perry Jones, Thomas Robinson, Khris Middleton, Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson 2011-09-28 04:08:31
DraftExpress: DX video profile w/practice footage featuring Baylor's Perry Jones from the adidas Nations Experience in LA: http://t.co/g4RbLvC 2011-08-15 01:32:42
adidas Nations Highlights and Interview: Perry Jones August 15, 2011 A video profile featuring Baylor sophomore Perry Jones from the adidas Nations Experience in Los Angeles.
[Read Full Article] NBA Draft Prospect of the Week: Perry Jones February 9, 2011 Deemed by many scouts as the prospect with the highest upside of any player in college basketball, Perry Jones of Baylor has had an up and down freshman season that appears to be taking a turn for the better at the moment.
AP
Jones was extremely deferential early in the season, looking somewhat lost or apathetic at times, but he has been more assertive in Big 12 play, scoring 19 points or more in six of nine in-conference games thus far. While some of that has to do with Jones' increasing comfort level and individual aggressiveness, it also has plenty to do with how he's being utilized by his coaching staff and teammates.
Even though he's one of the most efficient players in college basketball, shooting nearly 60% inside the arc, Jones is still not getting as many touches as he probably should. Baylor's guards (specifically LaceDarius Dunn) have exhibited poor shot selection all season long, and the team ranks as one of the most turnover prone in college basketball.
When not being ignored by teammates, it's easy to see what makes Jones such a tantalizing prospect, as you can see in the first two minutes of the following video we created:
Perry Jones Strengths/Weaknesses Video
Watch in full screen mode by clicking button in upper right hand corner of video
Standing 6-11, with long arms, an excellent frame and incredible fluidity for a player his size, Jones is a rare physical specimen by any standard. When motivated, he runs the floor about as well as any big man in this draft and is capable of beating his man off the dribble with a terrific first step. He has great hands and an exceptionally soft touch, which makes him an incredible finisher around the basket. (His length and highlight reel-caliber explosiveness help in this regard as well.
Offensively, Jones gets his touches in a variety of ways. An extremely reliable target for his teammates to throw drive-and-dish passes to, he has great potential as a pick-and-roll finisher thanks to his hands, touch and leaping ability. He is also a solid (although clearly not a dominating) presence on the offensive glass for the same reason -- he has the ability to pogo stick off the ground multiple times before his opponents can react.
Baylor has been increasingly utilizing him in post-up situations, an area in which he's been relatively effective. Jones doesn't possess the girth to establish great position against the strongest collegiate big men he'll match up against (such as the Morris twins at Kansas), but with his decent footwork, outstanding touch and phenomenal extension around the rim, he's able to do some very interesting things at this level, especially when he's being aggressive. Moving forward, it's paramount for him to add strength to his promising, yet currently underdeveloped frame.
Another area in which Jones has shown promise in is with his jump shot. He has excellent shooting mechanics and solid range out to about 18 feet, even showing flashes of being able to convert shots off the dribble at times. He should be able to develop into a solid pick-and-pop option in time, although he's definitely not as consistent as he needs to be just yet – he's only made 18 of 55 jumpers this season, or 33%.
Where Jones might be at his best a few years down the road is as an isolation threat from the high post. With his solid ball-handling skills and devastating first step, he has the ability to beat most big men off the dribble with ease, something that will only become more pronounced with the NBA's superior spacing. Jones doesn't see many opportunities of this fashion at the moment and he's been fairly erratic when he does, which often results in turnovers.
As Jones gains more experience, improves his feel for the game and continues to tighten his ball-handling skills, expect his shot-creating skills to become a major part of his offensive arsenal. He's already had a handful of impressive moments grabbing a rebound and taking the ball coast to coast himself, but it's not a consistent part of his game just yet.
The weakest part of Jones' game clearly lies on the defensive end. He's shockingly unproductive from a statistical standpoint, averaging an alarmingly low number of blocks and steals every game, and very few rebounds.
Of the 90 NCAA prospects currently classified as power forwards in our database, Jones ranks 78th in defensive rebounding on a per-minute basis, which is extremely disappointing considering his physical tools and the fact that none of his teammates are particularly prolific in this category. He shows fairly poor awareness here, often failing to box out opponents and doesn't look very instinctive or energetic in the way he pursues loose balls.
These attributes definitely translate to the rest of his defensive game, where Jones clearly lacks toughness and activity. He regularly gets lost off the ball, being a step slow to react to things happening on the floor and not putting enough work in early in possessions to stop opponents from getting the ball in a favorable position. Physical players move him around the paint fairly easily and Jones doesn't always respond the way you'd hope. He often allows himself to get outhustled and outworked.
Beyond his poor fundamentals, Jones doesn't seem to be the most contact-loving player in the world. He tends to shy away from putting a body on opponents and isn't one to dive on the floor for loose balls. With his size, length, quickness and ability to get in a low stance, Jones has all the tools to be an excellent defender and rebounder down the road.
AP
We must remember that he's still in a very early stage of his development, being somewhat of a late bloomer who didn't really emerge as a top-shelf prospect until the summer prior to his senior year of high school. It's possible that with increased strength, good coaching and added experience, he could get there in time.
It's not easy to teach toughness and hustle, though, and these are things that are sorely lacking in Jones' game at the moment.
Seeing the lackluster manner in which he sets screens and shies away from contact around the basket offensively, it's not difficult to tell why Jones often struggled to crack double digit scoring figures at the high school level. The people who saw him play the most back then—recruiting analysts—were very skeptical about his prospects, as evidenced by their rankings.
In a perfect world, Jones would be drafted in the mid to late portion of the lottery and given time to develop — there's absolutely no question he possesses the talent to reach his terrific potential. Unfortunately, in a draft that is looking increasingly shallow by the day, teams may not be able to resist taking him early on (potentially as high as first overall), which will put a significant amount of pressure on both him and the organization. Whether or not he's able to deal with such high expectations remains to be seen.
How Jones is able to finish the season should give us some clues about his mental toughness and readiness to produce immediately in the NBA. Can he rise to the occasion and lead Baylor to an NCAA tournament berth with an ultra-productive March? [Read Full Article]
adidas Nations Highlight Reel: Perry Jones September 4, 2010 Highlight Reel
Around the Key Dunking Drills
[Read Full Article] Mcdonald's All-American Week Player Evaluations and Interviews April 5, 2010
Jones had no problem putting behind a very disappointing high school senior season behind him, showing immediately in the practices why he's arguably the best long term prospect of any player in this class. His body has developed noticeably since we last saw him, and his athleticism and upside is clearly off the charts. He did a great job of showing his perimeter skills as well, in particular his shooting stroke, which looked outstanding even out to the 3-point line. Defensively, he was active and aggressive rotating from the weak-side as a shot-blocker, but struggled at times in man to man situations, particularly when being backed down by the super strong and tough Jared Sullinger.
Jim Hlavac / DraftExpress
Jones is clearly an extremely rare talent who likely be picked very very high whenever he decides to enter the draft. Recruiting analysts continue to question why him and his high school team underachieved so badly this year, but Jones has his fair share of explanations for why he struggled at times. You can hear all of them in the interview we conducted above. [Read Full Article]
2010 McDonald's High School All-American Dunk Contest Videos April 2, 2010 Perry Jones was up next, and he showed exactly why he’s considered one of the best athletes in this class, despite standing 6-11. He opted to throw the ball off the bottom bumper of the glass and do a 360 windmill, earning him a shockingly low score of 62.
Jim Hlavac, DraftExpress
Jones’ next dunk was a full 360 with a one-handed extension slam, earning him a 69.
[Read Full Article] Initial High School Player Scouting Reports, Part Two August 22, 2009 Simply put, no prospect in the 2010 high school class displays more NBA potential than Baylor commit Perry Jones (#12 Scout, #6 Rivals, #3 ESPN). Right off the bat, Jones wows you with his terrific physical attributes—standing 6-10 or 6-11, with a great frame, long arms and incredible athleticism. Jones runs the floor like a deer, explodes off the ground as if he has a personal trampoline at his disposal, and is extremely fluid and reactive to everything that goes on around him.
Skill-wise, there is quite a bit to like here as well. We regularly saw Jones grab a rebound and then handle the ball up-court himself, often weaving in and out of traffic before dishing off a perfectly timed no-look pass right into the path of a teammate streaking towards the basket. He also has a very nice jump-shot, showing streaky range out to the 3-point line, but with the type of touch and mechanics that lead you to believe that he can develop this part of his game into a real weapon in time.
When attacking the rim in the half-court, Jones displays an excellent first step and is capable of getting to the basket in two long strides, sometimes mixing in some very nice spins and pivot moves, often starting off a sharp crossover. Once he’s inside the paint, he finishes with the greatest of ease, typically in highlight reel fashion. Jones is certain to be a fixture many a highlight reel, as he has slamdunk contest-caliber leaping ability. His teammates regularly just throw lobs in the general direction of the rim, knowing that Jones will find a way to go get the ball and hammer it home.
In terms of weaknesses, there are a few you could point towards. One would be his complete lack of a back to the basket game, something you’d like to see him develop considering the quickness and nifty footwork he displays. He needs to get stronger in the lower body first, and probably quite a bit tougher in the paint as well.
Jones doesn’t always seem to be as focused or intense as you might hope, as it’s not rare to see him check out of a game mentally, at times for long stretches. He seems to get down on himself from time to time, not being aggressive at all, and playing with too little energy if he’s not directly involved in everything going on around him. This shows up on the defensive end and on the glass in particular, where he tends to rely too much on his athleticism and displays just average fundamentals. That athleticism does come in very handy in the form of steals and blocked shots, though, which he gets plenty of.
He also doesn’t always box out for rebounds, and is way too upright trying to guard the post, often just waiting for an opportunity to go and chase a blocked shot, rather than trying to deny position and play solid man to man defense. These are not very rare things for a big man this young, especially one who is a very late bloomer, like Jones clearly is, having experienced a late growth spurt that saw him shoot up dramatically over the course of a few years.
Despite the criticism, you’d be hard pressed to find a player with such an impressive combination of natural tools and skills as Perry Jones displays. His ability to create his own shot from the perimeter and find the open man with impressive passing skills is extremely unique at this level, and should make him a very popular prospect amongst NBA scouts in the 2010-2011 season. If he continues to progress and play like he did in Las Vegas when we saw him this summer, it’s going to be tough to envision him staying in school very long, as he could be a very very high draft pick. [Read Full Article]
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