Rip City Project
Fansided

Portland Trail Blazers: Potential second round steals in the NBA Draft

By Spencer Poole

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: (L-R) NBA Draft prospects Kevin Porter Jr., Nicolas Claxton, Sekou Doumbouya, Goga Bitazde, Keldon Johnson, Nassir Little, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Rui Hachimuri, Jarrett Culver, Cam Reddish, Coby White, Zion Williamson, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Ja Morant, De'Andre Hunter, Darius Garland, Brandon Clarke, Romeo Langford, Jaxson Hayes, Tyler Herro, Bol Bol, PJ Washington, Matisse Thybulle and Mfiondu Kabengele stand on stage with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before the start of the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: (L-R) NBA Draft prospects Kevin Porter Jr., Nicolas Claxton, Sekou Doumbouya, Goga Bitazde, Keldon Johnson, Nassir Little, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Rui Hachimuri, Jarrett Culver, Cam Reddish, Coby White, Zion Williamson, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Ja Morant, De'Andre Hunter, Darius Garland, Brandon Clarke, Romeo Langford, Jaxson Hayes, Tyler Herro, Bol Bol, PJ Washington, Matisse Thybulle and Mfiondu Kabengele stand on stage with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before the start of the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
NBA Mock Draft 2020
Tre Jones, Duke Blue Devils (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Tre Jones. player. Point Guard. Duke. 1. 434. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis

Fresh off a sophomore campaign at Duke that saw him finish as the 2019-2020 ACC player of the year, Tre Jones declared for the NBA draft. Despite his dominating play in college, projections on Jones vary wildly. NBAdraft.net has him as the 43rd pick, just three spots before Portland’s selection but other draft sites such as Tankathon have him going in the late first round.

Many of the reasons Jones draft projections vary so wildly have to do with his offensive game. Like his older brother Tyus, Tre is a floor general who while not flashy, will make the right pass more often than not. He ranked second in the ACC in assists last season while sporting an assist to turnover ratio of around 2.5 to 1.

Jones’ biggest projected weakness lies in his scoring ability. His lack of athleticism means he struggles with creating his own shot, often having to resort to lower efficiency midrange fadeaways. NBA teams will also look at his struggles against elite college defenses. Versus Kansas, Louisville and Florida State he shot a combined 15 of 46 from the field and 1 of 10 from deep.

But not all hope is lost for Jones’ offensive game. His three-point percentage jumped 10 points between his freshman and sophomore seasons from 26 to 36 percent and if he continues on that trajectory he has the potential to be a very capable three-point shooter in the NBA. He also possesses a Lillard-esque sense of the moment, which is encapsulated in his heroics during Duke’s overtime victory over archrival North Carolina in February.

He was a quality defender in college and ranked as the second-best defensive player on the Blue Devils last season in both defensive win shares and defensive box plus-minus, only behind Vernon Carey Jr. He has exceptionally quick hands which his 120 steals over the past two seasons can attest to. Where he does struggle on defense is in the pick and roll. When forced into switches, Jones just does not have the size and athleticism to guard players larger than himself.

For the Portland Trail Blazers, Jones has the potential to be a great guard addition off the bench who will be ready to play right away. His well-rounded all-around game will allow him to provide some much needed defensive help while at the same time being a decently capable scorer.

Tre Jones’s draft projections vary wildly and it is honestly doubtful that he will be available with the 46th pick but it would be in the Trail Blazers’ best interests to consider trading up several places if the opportunity arises to snag him.

NBA Comparison: Brad Wanamaker