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2016 NBA Draft Radar: Why Do People Like Vanderbilt’s Damian Jones?

By James Fitzgerald

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When you look at these early Mock Drafts there are some things that you look for specifically.

Of course you are going to look at who is the consensus No.1 pick, then you start looking at the Top 5, then you start looking at how the Mock Drafts view the big men in the draft.

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The reason you look at the big men is because the NBA has an infatuation with size even with small ball reigning supreme in this day and age of the game.

The NBA is not going to pass up on the big man they feel has upside, or has good enough tools to work with and mold into something serviceable for the team.

Yeah, we have seen our share of Hasheem Thabeet’s and Michael Olowokandi’s over the years. But if you have height, wingspan, and some kind of athletic fluidity to your movement, there is a pretty good chance the NBA is going to bring you in and find a use for you.

When you look at the potential draft picks for the 2016 NBA Draft, the player that fits the big with potential mold is Vanderbilt Commodores center Damian Jones.

The opinion on his value is pretty wide when you compare some of the Mock Drafts out there.

When you look at the early Mock Draft on nbadraft.net, Damian Jones is currently sitting as the fourth best prospect on their board.

DraftExpress on the other hand has Jones as their 16th best prospect on their board.

The disparity in opinion is truly symbolic of the how people may view his game because as with most players there is really good and really bad.

Damian Jones is a prime example of having really good and really bad parts in his game, but his upside is why in the end the people have him as a first round pick going no later than the middle of the first round for now.

On the good side, Jones is 6-foot-10, 248 pounds with a whole lot of length. The junior center has a wingspan of 7-foot-2, which is attractive to a team that is going to need an active rim protector to man the paint.

He used that wingspan to lead the Commodores in points, rebounds and blocks with averages of 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks during his sophomore season.

Feb 28, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores center Damian Jones (30) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Jimmie Taylor (10) during the first half at Memorial Gym. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

He can get his buckets in a couple different ways.

Jones, though he is raw, has shown that he can use his footwork and length to get off shots in the lane, and can hit a short jumper from within 10-feet on occasion.

His footwork and shooting are still a work in progress, but he has shown flashes in both of those areas.

But where he really excels is on catching lobs off the pick-and-roll and grabbing offensive boards for put backs.

His ability to play vertically is what is intriguing to people who are interested in his game.

When he is around the rim, he is going to find a way to throw it down on somebody’s head more often than not.

Jones strength is also pretty deceiving. When you look at him, you think he is weaker than he really is.

Jones is able to use his strength to finish strong inside, as long as his motor is up to it.

That is the operative phrase, “as long as his motor is up to it”.

Aside from the fact that his offense is a work in progress overall as far as needing to develop a consistent shot or consistent post game, his motor is definitely erratic.

It is not that he gets lazy on the court, cause to say he gets lazy would be disrespectful. But his tenacity ebbs and flows.

Because of this, his attention to detail gets him in trouble on the defensive end, and he does not grab as many rebounds as you would expect for him to snatch.

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    • If he ups his tenacity and intensity on the defensive end, and rebounds out of his mind like people expect him too, he will boost his stock a great deal this upcoming season.

    The main reason why scouts like Damian Jones so much is because of his height, length, and wingspan in the end.

    All the flaws that come along with it, as usual, a team feels they can fix just by simply putting him in their program.

    Jones is going to have to fix some of this stuff on his own as well. Not selling out completely on defensive rebounds or losing track of the ball defensively are simply things that have to do with concentration and understanding.

    If he puts the work in and shows that he has developed his offense from last year to this upcoming season, as well as amp up his game so he is more relentless, he is going to legitimize his stock and warrant being taken high in the 2016 NBA Draft.

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