The 2023 NBA Draft will be an important event for teams to build for their future. Here is the Colby Jones 2023 NBA Draft Profile.
Position: Guard
Size: 6-foot-5, 199 pounds
Class: Junior
College: Xavier
2022-2023 stats: 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks, 50.9%FG, 37.8%3FG, 65.3%FT
Jones spent three seasons at Xavier and really honed his craft for the Musketeers. Now he is in the 2023 NBA Draft.
As a four-star recruit out of Alabama, Jones decided to leave the state to play for the Musketeers. In his freshman season, Jones put up 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He helped the Musketeers go 13-8 that season, but the team did not make the postseason. In 2021-2022, Jones registered 11.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The Musketeers went 23-13 that season, winning the NIT to cap off the year. Last season, Jones averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He led the Musketeers to Sweet Sixteen of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
After the 2023 NCAA Tournament run, Jones declared for the draft. He is currently projected to be a mid to late first-round pick.
Jones is a versatile offensive player. He is able to play both on the ball and off the ball well. While he’ll likely never be the lead point guard for a team, he did a good job of running the offense and finding open teammates when asked. Jones can get to the basket for himself, or he can also space the floor for the team. Jones can fit in with just about any offense due to his versatility.
Making plays for others is something he continually improved on in college. He can operate the pick-and-roll well and knows when to keep the ball for himself or when to dish to a teammate. Jones shows good court vision and keeps the ball moving in the flow of the offense. He can penetrate into the lane and make quick interior passes to big men.
This past season, Jones showed an improved 3-point shot. He knocked down 37.8 percent of his shots from deep. His shooting mostly came off the catch, so his role for an NBA team will be stretching the floor. He can continue working on shooting off the dribble to be a more complete 3-point shooter.
Jones really needs to work on improving his free throw shooting. After shooting over 75 percent in his freshman season at Xavier, he failed to reach 70 percent in the following two seasons. He improved his 3-point shooting this past season, but that didn’t translate to the free throw line. If he wants to stay on the floor late in games, he will have to convert at a higher rate.
While he has good body control, Jones is not an elite athlete. He could have trouble blowing by defenders and getting to the basket because he doesn’t have a fast first step. On the defensive end of the floor, he could struggle to stay in front of players with above-average athleticism.
He has the ability to guard a few different positions, but Jones could improve his help defense. Jones can focus on his man and do a decent job guarding him, but could help his teammates more. He needs to show more awareness when he is off the ball to be a better team defender.
Projected Draft Range: Mid to Late First-Round Pick
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