NBA Comparison: Jarret Jack/Jevon Carter

Strengths: Floor general at point guard, works to set up teammates for open looks … Great decision maker, limits turnovers … Finds passing lanes and makes easy dump-offs to big men … Shows potential on three-point shot (increased from 26.2% to 36.1% in sophomore campaign) … Can hit pull-up for jumpers off the dribble on the break as well as in the half court set … Effective use of head fakes helps collapse defenses … Runs a transition offense very well … Footwork is solid on both ends of the court … Defensively, one of the best at anticipating and jumping passing lanes, leading to easy transition buckets … Very capable on ball, perimeter defender against quicker, shorter guards … Has the ability to stay in front of ball-handler from baseline to baseline in press defense … Disciplined defender, doesn’t reach or leave the ground on head fakes … Arguably the best defensive point guard in the class … Has shown a willingness to take the big shot down the stretch and has been successful when doing so … Has a lot of competitiveness and inner-strength. Wants to win at all costs, low-ego and plays unselfishly … Just turned 20 in January and improvement from year one to two shows promise in future progression …

Weaknesses: Shooting consistency is probably the most glaring weakness. Although, he was able to answer critics with solid shooting numbers and improvement as season progressed … Can be a streaky shooter, taking longer than desired to realize he doesn’t have it on a given night … Release is a little slow, seems to lack confidence sometimes … Perhaps it was due to system, but his pick and roll game is still in need of refinement … Can run simple pick and roll as a ball-handler, but doesn’t explode off the edge or thread the needle to the roller … Defenses really challenged him to hit shots while at Duke, especially since he was deadly as a set up guy and had a lot of talent around him … Athleticism is slightly below average for today’s NBA point guard … Plays below the rim, quick but not explosive … Struggles to create his own shot and get past better defenders off the dribble … Not a primary creator, may needs talent around him to take the eye off of him … Struggles to finish amongst the trees … Shows some crafty ability, but doesn’t deal with contact too well … When switched on defense, can be a liability because of size … Can grab long rebounds, but obviously can’t compete with bigger players … Smaller frame (6’2  and 185 lbs.) for an NBA lead guard (6’4”” wingspan), though not terrible …

Outlook: A player with limited upside but a pretty high floor … Every weakness that pertains to size and athleticism, he makes up for with his high basketball IQ and fundamentals … His motor and ability on defense provides an immediate impact to teams that value defense … Jones’ inability to create his own shot off the dribble will be offset when playing with stars because of his passing ability and willingness to let others create … He will need to improve his consistency on his jumper, but once again his decision making makes up for it … A floor-general who is comfortable with getting the “hockey assist,” his intangibles drive his game rather than relying on one specialized skill … Projects to be a reliable backup point guard who can also be used to shut down some scoring guards …

Notes: Measured 6’2.5″ in shoes, 6’0.5″ barefoot, 183 lbs, 6’4″ wingspan, 8’0″ standing reach at 2017 USA Basketball October Minicamp … Younger brother of Duke alumnus, Tyus Jones, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves … Slightly bigger, and more athletic than his older brother Tyus … Considered a potential late first to early second round pick for the 2020 NBA Draft …

Nick Mazone 5/19/20

NBA Comparison: Jarrett Jack

Strengths: Tre Jones was the fourth most talked about Duke freshman this season, and also the younger brother of Minnesota Timberwolves guard and Duke national champion, Tyus Jones, so he has an underdog mentality … Plays with a lot of toughness and determination … Jones was arguably the best perimeter defender in college basketball this year … He’s so quick, has great footwork, and can stay in front of guys the whole length of the court … He stays disciplined on the ball, rarely going for head fakes and makes it extremely difficult for opposing guards to get by him … He’s also a very active and intelligent defender off the ball, possessing great anticipation leading to a high steal rate … Offensively, Jones is an unselfish floor general, who runs the offense with great decision-making … He’s so smart with the basketball, turning the ball over about just once per game this past season … He has great vision and is an excellent distributor, resulting in an absurd assist to turnover ratio of almost 6:1 … His quickness allows him to get into the lane almost at will, and he always keeps his head up looking for open cutters/a dump off pass down low to one of his big men … Jones also has all of the intangibles that you want in a player … He’s very unselfish and one of those guys that would be just as happy scoring 25 as he is not even attempting a shot the entire game, as long as he gets the win … His defense, poise, and leadership are all things that are essentially guarantees every game, and are qualities that every team at the next level would love to have in a point guard …

Weaknesses: The main area of concern with Jones right now is his shooting … He doesn’t shoot very much, and doesn’t shoot it at a high percentage when he does fire away … He hesitates fairly often when he has an open look from outside, which either stems from his release being on the longer side, or just Jones lacking confidence in his shot. Jones is also on the smaller side for an NBA point guard. He has room to fill out his frame as well, and could benefit greatly from putting on weight in preparation for the draft. While he’s listed at 6’2, which is essentially the minimum height you’ll see for guards in today’s NBA, he looks to be a little shorter than that. His measurements at the combine are something to look out for and could potentially impact his stock if he’s not quite as tall as he’s currently listed … Lacks elite size but solid with a 6’4 wingspan and 8′ foot standing reach …

Notes: Measured 6’2.5″ in shoes, 6’0.5″ barefoot, 183 lbs, 6’4″ wingspan, 8’0″ standing reach at 2017 USA Basketball October Minicamp … Younger brother of Duke alumnus, Tyus Jones, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves … Full name is Tre Isiah Jones Born on January 8, 2000, in Apple Valley, Minn. Son of Debbie and Rob Jones Has two brothers, Tyus and Jadee Older brother, Tyus, played basketball at Duke and oldest brother, Jadee, played basketball at Furman … Was arguably Duke’s most indispensible player this year …

William Desautelle III 4/4/19

Strengths: 6’3 pure point guard … Leader with a high basketball IQ. Great court vision. Brings the best out in his teammates. Directs traffic. Led the Nike EYBL in assists with 8.3 per game to 1.8 turnovers per game … Smooth with the ball and handles well in traffic. Changes speed. Can get to the rim off the dribble. Has a good midrange game and touch on floater … Good pick and roll ballhandler. Plays with craft and creativity. Reads and reacts, doesn’t predetermine his offense. Highly unselfish … Scored well at the high school level. Averaged 19.3 points per game over the Nike EYBL and shot 56.5% from the floor … Fundamentally sound. Never in a hurry, plays at a good pace and under control … Good aggression but doesn’t force his impact … Draws a lot of fouls and reliable free throw shooter. Shot 5.7 free throws per game over the Nike EYBL and shot 80% … Anticipates and shows willingness as a defender. Fights over and avoids screens. Finished top five in steals over the Nike EYBL with 1.9 per game …

Weaknesses: Doesn’t have great size or length with a 6’4 wingspan and 8’0 standing reach … Isn’t an explosive athlete … Has a slight frame, lacking strength, only weighing 187 pounds. Getting to the rim and finishing in traffic will be an adjustment in college and beyond … Needs to improve jump shooting and perimeter scoring. Only shot 27.3% from three over the Nike EYBL. With his lack of athleticism and length, improving his jump shot is a must …

Outlook: Incoming Duke freshman. Provides as a floor general to a loaded Duke class with plenty of scoring options … Passed out eight assists in the McDonald’s All-American Game … Scored nine points, passed eight assists, and recorded three steals in the Jordan Brand Classic … Scored four points and passed five assists to no turnovers at the Nike Hoop Summit … Averaged 22.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game as a senior at Apple Valley … Younger brother of Tyus Jones …

Evan Tomes 7/8/18