Perry Jones, Sophomore, Power Forward, Baylor
Overview:
Baylor has turned into an NCAA basketball recruiting powerhouse almost overnight. Top 2011 recruit Quincy Miller was expected to take the place of top NBA prospect Perry Jones. There was only one problem, call it a good problem for Baylor though. Jones decided to return to school, forgoing an almost certain top five draft selection.
Jones wasn’t tremendously productive his first year at Baylor perhaps due to his perceived unselfishness. He never forced the action or wanted to take over games his freshman season, something that he certainly should have been capable of doing. His talents and tangibles are off the charts. It is possibly his desire to return to school that proves he has some sort of killer instinct.
Final Projection:
Like a few of his peers, Perry Jones’ stock dropped a bit by playing last year. Everyone is still aware of his leaping ability, scoring prowess and everything else that pegged him as the best player in the nation on many draft boards last year. However, returning to school is a double-edged sword. If he has a more productive season, showing he can take over games and dominate, all is good. But if he delivers another season similar to his first, NBA teams will begin to wonder if he has either no desire to be great or no instincts for it, neither being a positive conclusion.
5/31/12 Update by Dan Levine
Before the season began, many prognosticators were projecting Jones as a top-3 pick. His athleticism makes him an asset in the front court. Over the course of the season, Jones numbers slipped back a bit. The talent is there, but the consistency is not. He is now considered to be picked somewhere in the first 16 picks.
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