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Dillon Jones is a 6-foot-6 and 235 (plus) pound wing-forward for Weber State looking to follow the path of fellow bulky players David Roddy and Grant Williams.
Williams exploded onto the NBA scene a year ago because of his 3-point shooting and versatile defense. Jones has room to improve in both of those areas going into his third season in Ogden, Utah.
Jones scored a 64 on Cerebro Sports 3-point efficiency metric last season which is average but not good enough to fulfill the type of role he will be asked to at the next level. The encouraging sign is that this was a massive jump from the 39 he scored as a freshman at Weber State.
The form looks good without any major flaws and the free throw percentage has been good throughout his career (80%) which could also be a sign pointing towards more improvement.
A reliable shot with the multitude of ways you can use Jones in the offense would combine to make a pretty valuable offensive piece. Jones has experience playing in pick-and-pop, dribble handoff, and catch and drive play types because of his multi-skilled offensive game.
While the translation to the next level could be questioned due to an overall lack of vertical athleticism, Jones' ability to attack the basket and finish is fun to watch.
With a Cerebro Sports score of 80 around the rim (best on team), the metrics back up what you will see on film. Jones uses a unique stop and start movement combined with euro steps, spins, pivots, and up and under moves to get himself to the rim.
The Sunrise Christian product also knows how to utilize the aforementioned bulk at the rim to create angles for him to finish, even against bigger defenders.
The questions around his finishing begin to be asked when he is not able to create that body contact or get stopped on two feet and use his craftiness around the basket. Jones simply does not have the high end vertical pop to finish over longer defenders.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jones must continue to prove that he can be a switchable and versatile defender. Because of a player like Grant Williams, the NBA has begun to recognize that these types of players can come in all sorts of archetypes.
Jones shows an ability to hold up against any player that was asked of him, although it should be noted that his level of competition is not as high and he does not get as many chances to showcase this against high level perimeter players.
The intrigue and versatility comes with the ability to guard these perimeter players at his size but also possess the strength to hold up against bigger players in the paint. You will rarely see Jones get backed down into the paint but because of his lack of length his contests are somewhat limited and ineffective.
The 3-point shooting is absolutely the biggest determining factor in Jones’ NBA future but for him to truly carve out a role his off the ball defense must improve as well.
For being such a good communicator, Jones was far too often slow recognizing and making rotations. He also demonstrated a bad habit of then over rotating off of good shooters giving them an easy look from the 3-point line.
The path to the NBA for a player like Dillon Jones has been made easier because of Grant Williams and David Roddy but that does not mean it is close to a sure thing for him.
Jones must make another jump in his 3-point shooting (0-6 in season opener) and continue to show his multi-skilled offensive game (8 assists in season opener) with the versatile defense to truly intrigue NBA scouts.
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