NBA Draft 2023: Takeaways and biggest stars from PK85 Tournaments

Xavier

Colby Jones – Xavier – Connecting Guard/Wing- 6’5 195 lbs – May 2002

I liked Jones from what I saw last year and had no doubt he was a good player. I just wasn’t sure of his fit. Seeing him in-person definitely helped answer some questions.

He’s got good size for an off-ball guard. The passing acumen was noticeable. He plays with good pace in the pick-and-roll and has some really nice feeds to cutters or uses his height to throw over the defense. Jones’ jumper has always looked passable, but he was never a knockdown shooter. In Portland, Jones went a bonkers 9/10 from deep. He is a crafty at-the-rim finisher, but needs to develop an “in-between” game (either a mid-range jumper or floater), but the crafty finishing and shooting should carry.

Jones is not someone who needs a high-usage rate to have success at the NBA level. His positional size and defensive feel should allow him to guard a few spots. He’s a willing ball-mover whose shooting should allow him to play off of a true primary. Jones is simply a really good basketball player, with a mature game that translates and I am not sure there are 30 players better in this draft right now.

Oregon

Kel’El Ware – Oregon – Center – 7’0, 210 lbs – April 2004

Admittedly, the only Oregon game I saw was the Thursday night opener against Uconn. Their roster is depleted right now and the Huskies took care of them handedly.

It was an uninspiring first half from Ware, who looked disinterested and unengaged as his team was getting blown out. But in the second half, he showed some offensive flashes that make him enticing. He hit two threes, finished a post-hook and one over a smaller defender, finished an easy dunk off a dump-off, and rebounded a little better.

His combination of size and movement skills is unmatched by any prospect in college right now (a 7’4 French teenager across the pond does have him beat). Ware has started to turn it up a little from a production standpoint, and Oregon’s lack of guards, bizarre spacing, and lack of real scholarship players definitely don’t help him. I worry a bit about the motor and edge, but given the lack of centers in this draft, I can’t dock him from my top 30 yet. I’d feel more comfortable drafting him if I was a team with multiple first-round picks and could give him the leeway to reach his potential. If he continues producing, he should hover in the first round.