Draft Prospect: Dominique Jones

[Bruno]

Height: 6-4
Weight: 215 lbs
Birthday: 10/15/1988
College: South Florida

DraftExpress
nbadraft

[Bruno]

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/mar...ame-nba-draft/

USF junior guard Dominique Jones has submitted a letter to the NBA expressing his interest in entering the NBA Draft.

Jones plans to work out for NBA officials next month and then decide by May 8 whether to leave school for the NBA or return to USF.

According to a new NCAA rule, underclassmen who want to maintain their eligibility must pull their name out of the NBA draft by 5 p.m. on May 8. In the past, they could wait until June 15 without penalty.

[mountainballer]

Dominique Jones is climbing the draft boards quickly.
(DX Givony raves about him on his Twitter page, calling him a "mini Tyreke Evans)
currently he is projected mostly end of 1st round - high 2nd, stock rising quickly. Spurs can like this, if he reaches the 15-20 area. either they are interested in him themself, or Jones pushes a SF down one spot. I'm thinking especially about the Celtics. they will look for the same players like the Spurs, but might also be very interested in Jones, with their many open questions and expiring contracts of their back court players. (Robinson, T. Allen, R. Allen, Daniels, Finley)

[Bruno]

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/may...-clear/sports/

Jones reaffirmed his decision Friday to remain in the draft, and he has personal workouts scheduled this week with the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs.

[mountainballer]

I assume the Spurs will look at all players in their draft area, no matter what position they play. Jones doesn't make much sense on first sight, on the other hand, no team can have enough ball handlers and shot creators these days, especially when this players are good defenders as well.
btw. Jones does make sense in a longer perspective. it's not a given thing Tony will re sign 2011 and Spurs might start to prepare for a future back court that can replace the Tony+Manu back court one day.
if Spurs think that Hill+Jones could be such a tandem in some years, it would make a lot of sense to draft Jones.

[benefactor]

I would rather see them draft one of the SF prospects, but Jones would not be a surprising pick as they will need wings to replace Finley, Mason and possibly Bogans. The Spurs are in love with wings that can play and defend both guard positions and with his attack mindset and good ball handling he could be an interesting player. He also rebounds well for a guard, which is something the Spurs depend on their guards to help with.

[mountainballer]

I would rather see them draft one of the SF prospects, but Jones would not be a surprising pick as they will need wings to replace Finley, Mason and possibly Bogans. The Spurs are in love with wings that can play and defend both guard positions and with his attack mindset and good ball handling he could be an interesting player. He also rebounds well for a guard, which is something the Spurs depend on their guards to help with.

he is pretty much in every aspect a poor man's version of Dwyane Wade. which is not a bad thing. if the Spurs find out in the workout that he could defend NBA SGs and hit the NBA 3 on a decent rate, he might become an intriguing option for them. no matter that they needed a SF more urgent.

[Mr. Body]

I'd pick speed and talent, minus height, over a projected small forward.

[DesignatedT]

not to familiar with this kid.

[Mr. Body]

definitely not impressed with this kid.

Why?

[DesignatedT]

Why?

Well I only got to see a couple USF games but wasn't really impressed with him. He can't shoot from what i have seen.. especially the 3. All his scoring came from driving the lane which is all good but he definitely wont be able to drive like that against NBA defenders.(especially since he is already pretty undersized) The guy will have to develop a jumpshot if he wants a job in the NBA. Im not sure about his D though.

I would definitely not waste a 1st rounder on this guy... maybe if he drops to the late 2nd. Should have stayed in college IMO.

If we were going to go this rout I would rather go with jordan crawford from xavier. same type of player

[benefactor]

How is he undersized? He's almost a duplicate of Dwayne Wade physically. What leads you to believe that he won't be strong enough to get to the rim in the NBA?

BTW...he lead all point and shooting guards in the NCAA in free throw attempts per minute.

[DesignatedT]

It will be a lot harder for him to get to the rim against the much longer defenders. Especially when the defender will just lay off and give him the jumper he cant hit. I didn't know about the free throws... that's a nice stat if true.

[Blackjack]

Dominique Jones

How did your training go in Atlanta?

It’s good. It’s just where I’m based out of right now when I go to these workouts so I got the training down and everything is good.

A lot of people say that you’re style of play is very conducive to the NBA. Why is that?

I think that I’m strong and the contact is good, things like that. Getting to the basket and being able to knock down that wide-open shot, I think I can do that and I guess that’s where it translates at.

Specifically, what are you trying to improve in your game?

My ball-handling and getting inside the lane. I mean, I can get inside the lane basically wherever I want to go but keeping my ball-handling a little tight and my defense. I can defend but I just need to get it a little better.

What type of team would you like to play for? Up-tempo? Structured?

It don’t matter. I can go anywhere and play. I prefer an up-tempo team because then I can get up and down [the court] like I like to do.

Do you feel you’re an open-court player?

Yeah, that’s what I’m best at. Transition, open-court, off deflections, off defense, I’m the best at that.

Which teams have you worked out for?

Yeah, I’ve worked out for Boston, San Antonio, Washington, Indiana and Chicago.

The NBA is becoming more of a perimeter-oriented league. How do you think that will help you succeed as a player in the league?

Yeah, I think that’ll help me get to the basket more and make my drives a little easier so I can get that contact at the basket. I mean, I think it’ll affect me on defense too because I won’t be able to be as physical as I want but I’m satisfied with the rules so I like it.

[Blackjack]

I really like this kid. I'm not sure he's what they need at the moment but he's a player and he's got the physicality and game to thrive offensively at the next level -- he's got the capability to capitalize on the league's rules in almost the same fashion Wade does.

[benefactor]

This is my Spurs sleeper pick. If he impressed them at the team workout and they don't like anything that is available at 20 among the SF prospects they could take him. I'd rather have them take an SF, but I wouldn't hate the pick either.

[dbestpro]

If he is 1/2 half as good as he thinks he is he should be in the lottery. Kid is full of himself.

[ace3g]

Dominique Jones outside shot looked average. Didn’t make a huge impact. Outside shot shows good form but doesn’t get much lift.

http://www.nbadraft.net/nba-draft-combine-day-1

[Blackjack]

This is the kind of guy you need to see in game-action, not at a combine. Some players are built for theses workouts and the skill-type drills but Jones' talent lies in what he's capable of doing during the course of a game and when there's actually opposition -- it's hard to see how someone uses their body on the court against compe ion in a combine.

His shot needs work, as does his ball-handling, but the guy's a player. Plain and simple.

[mountainballer]

measured 6-5 in shoes with a decent 6-9 wingspan. combined with good athleticism this are fantastic numbers for a combo guard. at this size he could definitely defend the bigger and stronger SGs as well.

[Blackjack]

Very pleased with Jones' numbers. He's a good inch taller than I thought and much longer than I even realized.

Just for a comparison, check out the numbers in relation to Hill:

Dominique Jones

George Hill

Height: 6' 3.25" 6' 1.25"

W/ Shoes: 6' 5" 6' 2.5"

Weight: 216 181

Wingspan: 6' 9.25" 6' 9"

S. Reach: 8' 5'' 8' 1.5"

Body Fat: 5.9 3.0

[TimmehC]

As a USF alum, I approve of this draft pick. Still would like to see a SF get picked, though.

[DesignatedT]

Wasn't to interested in the kid to begin with but he has been growing on me. Listened to his interview and watched him in the workouts and he is pretty impressive. Would love to try and acquire another late 1st rounder or early 2nd to try and land this kid along with whoever we draft at #20.

[dbestpro]

His picture makes him look like a cross between Avery Johnson and Michael Cage.

[mountainballer]

http://twitter.com/alexkennedynba
Dominique Jones distanced himself from Jordan Crawford and Terrico White in recent workout. "Embarrassed them multiple times," says source.