The Riddle Of Perry Jones III
Baylor University forward Perry Jones III looked extremely bored the last time he faced Missouri in Big 12 play.
Will he wake up the second time around? He better NBA scouts must be getting curious about this potential lottery pick.
Over at The Big Lead, Jason McIntyre looked at how the 6-foot-11 Jones is coming up short:
I don’t care that Perry Jones dominated Texas (22 points, 14 rebounds) or Oklahoma (21 points, 12 rebounds), or that he’s 6-11 and has the handle of a small forward and runs like a gazelle. Here’s what the ridiculously talented (nobody’s arguing that) Perry Jones has done in Baylor’s three biggest games this season:
at Kansas (blowout loss): 8-17 FG, 1-2 FTs, 18 points, 5 rebounds
vs. Missouri (loss): 4-7 FGs, 0-0 FTs, 8 points, 4 rebounds
vs. Kansas (blowout loss): 1-8 FGs, 3-4 FTs, 5 points, 3 rebounds
Should we blame Scott Drew for not getting Jones shots, or for Jones not calling for the ball? How, in three games against Top 10 teams, does Jones attempt just six free throws? His “desire” and passive nature have been written about plenty, but Jones returning for his sophomore season was supposed to eliminate some of those issues. Unfortunately, they’re still major, major red flags.
ESPN draft guru Chad Ford addressed that topic last month:
“Since his high school days, Jones has been heralded as a surefire lottery pick. The sophomore is long, athletic, skilled, versatile ... you name it. At times, he looks like he could be a 6-foot-11 Tracy McGrady. At other times, he completely disappears. For a second straight season, Jones is putting up solid numbers in the Big 12. But on any given night, he disappoints as much as he tantalizes. While Jones has all the physical gifts and skills to be an NBA superstar, he rarely plays like he wants to be one. He lacks aggression, a killer edge, the eye of the tiger.”
Matt Moore at CBSports.com added this:
“So the debate will continue. Skilled all-around weapon or tweener lacking muscle? Small forward or power forward? A mini-LaMarcus-Aldridge, a second-coming of Lamar Odom, or another big who doesn't play big? We know Jones can play at the NBA level. But the issue of how he will play at the NBA level continues to be a complicated one up for debate.”
McIntyre chimed in by listing 10 guys he would take ahead of Jones:
1) Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2) Austin Rivers, Duke
3) Brad Beal, Florida
4) Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
5) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
6) Harrison Barnes, UNC
7) Andre Drummond, UConn
8) Jeremy Lamb, UConn
9) Terrence Jones, Kentucky
10) Thomas Robinson, Kansas

