The San Antonio Spurs know where they are picking in the NBA Draft next month and now they have some decisions to make. That includes not only selecting their first overall (!!!) pick, but making their later picks as well. That could include Xavier’s Colby Jones, who is participating at the NBA Combine this week.
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound junior was a major contributor on an excellent Big East team. He was efficient on offense, has a nice push shot and floater, and is pretty versatile. While his offense is pretty solid and will certainly help a team immediately, he still has a ways to go on defense. Here are his stats from last season.
- 15.0 PPG, 1.3 SPG, 4.4 APG, 5.7 RPG, 2.3 TOPG
- 50.9 FG%, 37.8 3P%, 65.3 FT%
- 19.8 PER, 114.7 ORtg, 103.5 DRtg
Colby Jones 29-9-4 game last night. Missed once from the floor, 3-3 3PT, 0 TOs
Ultra adaptable game to play on/off ball. Efficient PnR skills/decision-making, 46% catch-shoot, 51% on floaters, alert cutter, defends ball-handlers + wings at 6-6. Feel like NBA teams can't go wrong pic.twitter.com/upWRgFr7od
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) March 2, 2023
Colby Jones Breakdown
Jones has taken over some games defensively with timely steals or plays, but he may not be described as an absolute shutdown defender. His offense will be what potentially gets his time early on in his career. He has a nice mid-range game, has improved his three-point shooting, and is a solid passer as a secondary ball handler. His positional versatility will also allow him to play in a number of lineups without losing his offensive advantages.
He’s a fundamentally sound player who can help a lot of teams. He doesn’t perform any one skill at an elite level, but that is something you might expect from someone likely to get picked at the end of the first round. Jones has to fix up his shot a little bit. It’s worked well enough for him to improve his percentages each year so far. He doesn’t possess a whole lot of explosiveness, but he plays calmly and is never rushed on offense.
Colby Jones is so savvy. Love his screen nav and how he picks up the ball with two hands to quickly use slight deception in order to make it look like he was gearing up for a pass to the corner, then catches the defense off guard by switching it up to a right-handed reverse pic.twitter.com/JfGLpnQCnu
— Stone Hansen (@report_court) May 15, 2023
The former Musketeer has a great IQ and is an unselfish playmaker. His intangibles will be valuable to teams. He should come in immediately and be a solid bench and locker room guy. Expect Jones to land somewhere late in the first round or early in the second.
