DraftExpress: Interesting article from the Courier-Journal: Terrence Jones,Mystery Man: Inexplicable lapses give soph room to improve http://t.co/5hnRMOYc 2011-12-16 05:39:33
DraftExpress: Seems like Terrence Jones graduated from the Lance Stephenson school of body language. Is this a recent development? 2011-11-15 10:44:13
DraftExpress: RT @eamonnbrennan: Per the usual, Dana's (@dgoneil1) feature on Terrence Jones is fantastic: http://t.co/K8nGEZHz 2011-11-02 09:41:53
DraftExpress: DX: Top NBA Prospects in the SEC (#1-10) http://t.co/VaRgRzpd Patric Young, Terrence Jones, Festus Ezeli, Jeff Taylor, John Jenkins (cnt'd) 2011-10-25 05:51:04
DraftExpress: Me for SI: Talking NBA Draft Early-Entry decisions: http://bit.ly/jGt2gj Terrence Jones, Shelvin Mack, Reggie Jackson, more. 2011-05-10 08:40:07
Finding a Niche For: Terrence Jones April 29, 2011 Scouting report by Walker Beeken, video breakdown by Sebastian Pruiti
Terrence Jones made a name for himself early in his freshman season at Kentucky with an excellent performance at the Maui Invitational in November, where he averaged 23 points and over 11 rebounds during the three game tournament, while also blocking 10 shots, shooting 4-8 from 3 point range, and getting to the free throw line for an outstanding 32 attempts.
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Ranked as the 10th best player in his high school class according to the RSCI, Jones was expected to contribute immediately at Kentucky, but his early season success surpassed the expectations of most. The lefty looked dominant at times playing as a face-up power forward, displaying a lethal combination of skill creating his own shot and making shots from the perimeter, along with aggressiveness and intensity attacking inside the paint and crashing the boards.
His early season success drew plenty of attention from NBA decision-makers, with his name often being mentioned with some of the top prospects in the NCAA. As the season went on, however, Jones lost some momentum, as his shot wasn't falling, his role in Kentucky's offense decreasing, and his confidence appearing to take a hit. After averaging nearly 20 points per contest 16 games into the season—on 37% shooting from beyond the arc--Jones only hit the 20 point mark again twice over the final 22 games of the season, and saw his perimeter shooting come down to earth in a major way, converting just 27% of his 3-point attempts in that span.
His decline wasn't a detriment to the team though, as Kentucky played its best basketball of the season down the stretch, winning 12 of 13 games before falling to Connecticut in the Final Four. Coach John Calipari may have just figured that his team's best chance of winning was to feature other players more offensively, spreading the wealth and becoming less dependent on Jones on the offensive end. Brandon Knight, Darius Miller, and Josh Harrellson all increased their production offensively in the later part of the season as Calipari made adjustments and Jones played a lesser role.
Some early evidence of this was seen in Calipari's profanity-laced tirade during the Alabama game on January 18th, where he called Jones, amongst other things, selfish. Calipari later explained that Jones sometimes has a tendency to play soft and bail out his defender by settling for 3-pointers as opposed to putting pressure on his man and attacking the basket. To Jones's credit, although he wasn't as productive overall near the end of the season, he was more selective with his perimeter jump shot, knocking down a solid 7 of 15 attempts in his final 10 games.
When projecting Jones to the next level, there are many opinions on how he could best be utilized and what position he should play, as he seems to be stuck between small forward and power forward. He could probably get away with playing either spot depending on the team, style of play, and the personnel around him.
If a team plays a slower pace and uses him as a cutter and posts him up on occasion, where he could take advantage of his strong body and physicality, he could play some three. He would likely be more limited in this type of role offensively though, as it would be more difficult for him to make plays off the dribble from the perimeter against quicker defenders, and he'd likely get less open looks with his feet set as well. He wasn't very effective in the post this season either (scoring only .67 on his post up possession) so he'd have quite a bit of work to do on becoming a more efficient post player to where he could actually punish the smaller threes that would guard him.
On the defensive end, he would need to be on a team with solid help-defenders and a presence at the rim, as his lateral quickness could be questionable when trying to defend NBA small forwards on the perimeter.
The more likely role for him at the NBA level, at least at this stage in his career with his current body and skill set, would be to play as more of a face-up four man, similar to his role at Kentucky. This would suit teams looking to get out and run a bit more, and would help with spacing in the half-court. Jones could continue to exploit his quickness advantage on the offensive end and utilize his ability to make plays of the dribble, attacking the basket, or using a dribble or two and pulling up for jumpers.
He'd also likely get more open looks from the perimeter and help to stretch the floor if he can become a bit more of a consistent threat from the outside. He shot a lackluster 33% from the 3-point line this season, but he showed flashes of being better than that. Although he doesn't have textbook form, like many lefties, he has a decent release, shoots the ball with confidence, and was more proficient when he was selective with what shots he should be taking,
Off the dribble, Jones has a nice first step and very good ball-handling skills for a player his size, but he heavily prefers driving left and needs to really focus on developing his right hand. He's comfortable handling in the open court as well, even showing the ability to grab a defensive rebound and take off with the dribble. His decision-making is still a bit shaky at times, as expected for a player his age, but he does have good passing instincts and has displayed the ability to make plays for others off the bounce on occasion.
On the defensive end, Jones isn't the ideal size for an NBA power forward at 6'8”, but there are plenty of guys in the league at his size who manage to get by, and Jones has a long 7'2” wingspan and very strong, solid frame for a 19 year old, so he should be able to hold his own physically in most matchups. He also averaged almost 2 blocks per game this season, further illustrating his presence in the basket area.
He's a solid defensive rebounder as well, as evidenced by the fact that he averaged 8.2 defensive rebounds per forty minutes pace adjusted. He's tough, plays with great intensity, and has solid instincts going after rebounds. Moving him out to the three takes him away from the basket more and limits his effectiveness as a rebounder.
Overall, although Jones's stock probably isn't where it once was earlier in the season, he's still looked at a potential lottery pick, as it's clear that his versatility and physical tools are very unique and desirable traits that NBA teams covet. While his ultimate role and position may still be up in the air, he still shows very good potential down the road as he continues to add polish to his game and shores up some of his weaknesses. [Read Full Article] Trending Prospects (12/2/2010) December 2, 2010 Joseph Treutlein
AP
One of the most productive freshmen in the country six games into the season, Kentucky forward Terrence Jones has looked extremely impressive in the early going, playing with an extremely high level of confidence and maturity.
The 6'8 18 year old has a very mature physical profile for his age, boasting a thick, well-built frame in both the upper and lower body with good length to boot. From an athletic standpoint, his muscle mass doesn't hold him back much at all, as he's quick off his feet even in stride off the dribble, explosive around the rim, and has a very good first step with the ball.
On the offensive end, Jones has a versatile game and the confidence to put all his skills to use. Having a nice basketball IQ and very good scoring instincts, there isn't any one area where Jones isn't at least an adequate performer.
Doing the majority of his damage operating off quick catches on the wing and in the pinch post, Jones does a lot of work catching and putting the ball down on the floor to go to the basket. Heavily favoring his dominant left hand, Jones has a controlled albeit somewhat upright dribble that he's very confident with both in and out of space.
Being most comfortable when he has room for a quick, straight-line drive to the rim, Jones is capable of getting separation with his explosive first step and either driving all the way to the rim or pulling up for a floater with either hand. While Jones favors his finesse game perhaps a bit too much, he's capable of going up for strong dunks in traffic when he's built up enough momentum, elevating fairly effortlessly and not being shy about drawing contact, getting to the line at a very high rate, being amongst the top players in the NCAA in that category early on.
In space, Jones will occasionally show off a rangy spin move or behind-the-back dribble, both of which he can seamlessly transition into one of his floaters, though he doesn't show much ability getting off advanced moves in traffic, and to his credit he seems to recognize his limitations pretty well, rarely making ill-advised decisions with the ball considering how frequently he's been creating his own shot. He turns the ball over on just 14% of his possessions, which is an extremely low rate considering his freshman status and his style of play, which would seemingly lead to a large amount of lost possessions.
While Jones vastly prefers going to his left, he's also decently comfortable with his right hand, not having as much wiggle but being able to finish with right-handed lay-ups and floaters and still having a good degree of control with the ball.
Not just a one-dimensional scorer attacking the basket, Jones also possesses range slightly beyond the college three-point line, having a pretty consistent jump shot with a decently quick and high release. He has somewhat of a stagger stance with his left foot far in front of his right and he has a tendency to shoot some line drives while pushing the ball in front of his face, but he's shooting an accurate 46.2% on 1.2 makes per game thus far, and shows great confidence shooting the ball even with a hand in his face. While not showing anything in terms of shooting off the dribble, Jones has a very dangerous shot fake in his arsenal which he uses to open up big driving lanes to the basket.
Surprisingly for a freshman combo-forward, Jones has also shown himself to be a willing passer with strong court vision, dishing out 2.2 assists per game in the early going, doing so in transition, hitting cutters in the lane, kicking out of double teams in the post, and just moving the ball in the flow of the offense. He sometimes will get in trouble not recognizing a passing lane closing down and force the ball through, but his errors are mostly good ideas and he shows a good feel overall in this area that can be developed further.
In terms of post offense, Jones isn't very adept at the moment, having trouble getting separation and finishing over larger opponents at times, not really having much in terms of rangy moves, relying heavily on simple hooks and spinning hooks. He seems to do a much better job operating from the perimeter where he's capable of building momentum and having more initial separation from his man, looking far more comfortable in that regard.
Off the ball, Jones also does a solid job finishing on cuts to the basket and crashing the offensive boards, doing an excellent job throwing his weight around and establishing deep position, showing good instincts running to the rim when shots go up and showing good hands and getting off the floor quickly for putbacks.
On the defensive end, Jones has shown a solid effort level thus far, not giving up on many plays and being pretty consistent in closing out on perimeter jumpers, always running full speed with his arms outstretched. Unfortunately, a good deal of those situations are created when Jones gets caught ball-watching off the ball, making him prone to losing his man in the flow of offense, leading to an easy shot.
In terms of man-to-man defense, Jones actually has a good stance and moves his feet pretty well on the perimeter despite a high center of gravity and somewhat stiff movements. With more work here and consistent focus, he should be able to hold his own against most NBA small forwards, but could be overmatched against the elites. In the post, Jones has done a very good job thus far, bodying up pretty well, keeping his arms outstretched, contesting anything shot above him, and moving his feet. He also seems to be pretty far away from his potential here as he doesn't show great understanding of leverage, which makes his overall effectiveness in this area more impressive.
Looking forward, Jones was already thought of as a potential lottery pick before the season began, so the mature and confident game he's shown thus far has definitely helped, especially because its rare freshmen instantly contribute in such a complete manner. While still more of a combo-forward at the moment, Jones' early prowess with perimeter shot creation and adequate comfort with perimeter defense so early in his career also make an eventual transition to full-time small forward more likely, something that also should help his stock. With his physical tools, NBA-ready body, and strong and growing skill set, Jones has a high ceiling and should stay put firmly in the early-to-mid lottery if he can continue this play all season. [Read Full Article]
Initial High School Player Scouting Reports, Part One August 14, 2009 One of the fastest-rising players in the 2010 class based on his play this summer, Terrence Jones (#34 Scout, #15 Rivals, #16 ESPN) didn’t disappoint in the least bit when we went out to see him in the GBOA tournament in Las Vegas.
A 6-8 tweener forward with solid athleticism and a nice frame, Jones does a little bit of everything for his team. He likes to play primarily facing the basket, where he shows a nice first step and the ability to attack his man off the dribble going either left or right. Not blessed with great advanced ball-handling skills at this point—he’s mainly a two-dribble guy without much of a mid-range game—Jones does an excellent job using shot-fakes to create space and takes the ball very strong to the rack.
Capable of knocking down a barrage of 3-pointers when he gets hot, Jones is still a bit on the streaky side from the perimeter and tends to fall in love excessively with his jumper at times. He has a slight hitch in his shot which takes away from the fluidity of his release. Although he’s very much capable of posting up, and actually shows nice footwork on occasion down in the paint to go along with his strong body and excellent size, he doesn’t seem to do so enough, looking more concerned with bringing the ball up the floor in transition himself and trying to show off his small forward skills. He’s not a selfish guy, though—he seemed very willing to make the extra pass and all in all looked like a pretty good teammate.
Defensively, Jones shows average fundamentals and toughness and doesn’t always look all that focused on this side of the floor. He can get in the passing lanes and make plays rotating from the weakside, but doesn’t always seem to show much hustle getting after the glass, although he can clearly make his presence felt here when he puts his mind to it.
Jones has a rep for being fairly inconsistent from game to game, as you never quite know what you’ll get from him on any given night. This is not that much of a shock considering the stage of development he’s currently at, and it will be interesting to see whether his games blossoms moving forward. He has a lot of tools at his disposal and is an extremely versatile all-around player, even if he hasn’t quite found a position for himself just yet. [Read Full Article]
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