On the surface, Jones may seem like the most viable candidate to bloom into a star. From a physical and athletic standpoint, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis is the only player in the class more gifted. At 6’11 he moves with the swiftness and agility of a guard. He’s a special kind of talent who can do things that few players at his size can do.
Yet, you never hear Jones talked about in the same light as Davis, because he rarely makes the most of his incredible set of tools.
ESPN’s Jason King recently did a revealing feature on Jones that chronicled his tumultuous history and shed some light on the human being behind the frequent criticism of which he’s been the subject.
It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of affect being able to financially take care of his family has on Jones. Maybe then he’ll feel less pressured, play more freely and energized.
Almost as important as anything, Jones needs to develop thick skin and become deaf to the criticism from the outside world. No matter how good you play, you’re still going to have detractors – look no further than Miami HEAT forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant for prime examples of that. He has to worry about pleasing one person: his head coach.
Jones’ future head coach will be dealt the task of keeping him motivated and active. It’s when Jones is engaged and involved on the court that he’s at his best. When he gets caught up in watching and being a spectator, he’s a non-factor who might as well buy a ticket.
Jones’ coach will also have to figure out which position he’s best suited to play full-time. While he can play any position 3-5, he’s probably going to end up settling in at power forward. That’s where he holds the most potential to create mismatches because he can blow by bigger guys and post up smaller ones. With his length, quickness and athleticism he should be able to defend the position just fine as well.
The saying that you cannot judge a draft until three years after it has occurred was coined because of guys like Jones who are oozing in potential but have yet to put everything together. He should expect to get heavily evaluated off of the court in interviews as teams try to grasp an understanding of his mental makeup. Interviews could affect his stock as much as anything.
Jones is going to require some patience because he is not ready to do anything in the NBA right now other than play limited minutes, get garbage buckets and score in transition. If the switch flips, though, there won’t be an area in the game he doesn’t impact.
Yet, you never hear Jones talked about in the same light as Davis, because he rarely makes the most of his incredible set of tools.
ESPN’s Jason King recently did a revealing feature on Jones that chronicled his tumultuous history and shed some light on the human being behind the frequent criticism of which he’s been the subject.
It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of affect being able to financially take care of his family has on Jones. Maybe then he’ll feel less pressured, play more freely and energized.
Almost as important as anything, Jones needs to develop thick skin and become deaf to the criticism from the outside world. No matter how good you play, you’re still going to have detractors – look no further than Miami HEAT forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant for prime examples of that. He has to worry about pleasing one person: his head coach.
Jones’ future head coach will be dealt the task of keeping him motivated and active. It’s when Jones is engaged and involved on the court that he’s at his best. When he gets caught up in watching and being a spectator, he’s a non-factor who might as well buy a ticket.
Jones’ coach will also have to figure out which position he’s best suited to play full-time. While he can play any position 3-5, he’s probably going to end up settling in at power forward. That’s where he holds the most potential to create mismatches because he can blow by bigger guys and post up smaller ones. With his length, quickness and athleticism he should be able to defend the position just fine as well.
The saying that you cannot judge a draft until three years after it has occurred was coined because of guys like Jones who are oozing in potential but have yet to put everything together. He should expect to get heavily evaluated off of the court in interviews as teams try to grasp an understanding of his mental makeup. Interviews could affect his stock as much as anything.
Jones is going to require some patience because he is not ready to do anything in the NBA right now other than play limited minutes, get garbage buckets and score in transition. If the switch flips, though, there won’t be an area in the game he doesn’t impact.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/are-rivers...ague-nba-ready
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