2. Derrick Jones Jr. needs to become a better ball-handler this offseason
Part of the reason DJJ is such an offensive liability is his complete inability to create his own shot. While he’s a freak athlete that can finish over and through just about any defender in the league, Jones Jr. does not possess the ball skills necessary to get himself to the cup.
At 6’5, he’s best fit to play as a small forward, but without any handles or semblance of a reliable outside shot, he’s mostly just a poor distraction standing on the perimeter.
At this point in his career, DJJ is limited to wide open threes, straight line-drives, and transition opportunities to rack up points. Bulking up and moving into more of a screener role should help him find more opportunities diving to the hoop, but adding some ball skills will go a long way towards making him a more consistent offensive threat.
In the above clip, he has a mismatch against the much smaller Stephen Curry and uses a quick jab to go right by him. When Draymond Green rotates over though, DJJ’s remedial skills as a creator prevent him from darting straight into Green—resulting in a charge. With more moves in his bag, this could have easily led to a bucket for DJJ or an open teammate.
Even if Jones Jr. doesn’t drastically improve his jump shot this offseason, adding a few go-to moves on drives would make him much more of a potential bucket. I’m not expecting him to turn into Kyrie Irving overnight, but he’ll have to bring more to the Blazers offense than line-drives next season if he expects to receive consistent floor time.