https://www.thestepien.com/2020/03/21/tre-jones-scouting-report-2020/
Net Rating: +15
Athleticism / Frame Overview: Not a good vertical athlete, but moves well laterally – not super quick, but his anticipation helps him here. Fluid flip turns and can flip consecutively, when needed…though not super quick. Solid strength for his size – maybe a little room to add more weight. His last tested wingspan and reach are both below average for PG – reported wingspan by 2 inches and reach by 1.75 inches. His lack of burst, high-level lateral quickness, or pop makes his poor measurements a bit more harming…but his IQ and feel help offset it.
Mentality Overview: Competitive, high IQ player. Does not take plays off. Game manager on both ends.
Offensive Role: Game manager PG. Runs the offense, but ideally not used as a primary creator. High IQ.
Defensive Role: Point of attack/PG defender. Likely one position, maybe some small ball 2 defense. Competitive, high IQ.
Finishing: Poor finisher, though shows some shifty downhill attacks leading to some nice finishes – nice job using change of pace to get the defender off balance and attack downhill. Touch around the rim looked a bit worse compared to last year with an increase in responsibilities, but still displayed nice touch on runners. Not someone who can dislodge defenders on the drive, or take contact particularly well in the paint. Does a pretty nice job keeping the ball away/shielding the ball from his man on drives (does not have the ball poked free), but diggers have had success in disrupting his drives/forcing turnovers. If he does feel the ball starting to get poked out when he’s going for the finish in the paint, he brings his off-hand onto the ball to help secure it. Does not have much pop in the paint and jumps out more than up…which is problematic considering his size and touch, and lead to 10 shots blocked in the paint in the halfcourt. Only 28/66 out in the paint out of PnRs/ISOs (20/47 excluding jumpers and runners).
Shooting: Not a great shooter yet, but the touch he has on runners and the improvements he made from last year potentially projects an upward trend going forward – will likely not be someone who defenses can just ignore off ball. Form-wise, the ball comes off his hands with a bit too much wrist action, head can be leaning back on the release throwing off his balance a bit, and his left hand placement can be on top of the ball too much rather than on the sides. Though the left hand placement is not always an indicator of being a poor shooter, with Tre it looks like it’s an impediment on some shots as he does not remove it in time on some shots to prevent it from interfering with the release. In addition, the loadup is a bit slow – he catches the ball, brings it left, brings his feet in, and then gets into the shooting motion. The slower release leads to the lower percentages on contested shots. I think the loadup can be fixed and will help his play off ball – as he speeds up the catch into the release, contesting defenses will not be able to affect his shot as easily as they can now. Some shots have hitches (nothing requiring a shot overhaul, but something to point out – less prevalent than last year) but do not. Does a nice job getting his right arm aligned with the rim. Has the ability to pulllup off the bounce going either way, but defenders can poke their hands in to disrupt the shot. 19/39 from NBA 3, according to Ryan’s data (@5th_factor on Twitter) – a little murky because the location data is not always accurate, though, but a datapoint nonetheless.
Shot Versatility / Creation: Good stationary C&S shooter – 19/43 on no dribble jumpers, though defenders closing out has an impact on his percentages due to the slow loadup. In terms of running off screens, until Tre speeds up his footwork / release, he will likely not be someone running off screens. However, I do think he will be someone who can hit shots off basic relocation – he has shown the ability to do this already, with inconsistent results, and the IQ to know where to cut / how to space properly. On-ball creation, Tre does a nice job getting to his spots off the bounce and has the ability to shoot off a left or right-handed dribble. As mentioned above, Tre does a fantastic job squaring up to the basket in the air regardless of the final dribble off a downhill attack. Though the results are not consistent yet, he has shown nice flashes hitting these – if he is able to start hitting these at a consistent clip, it should help alleviate some PnR scoring shortcomings that come from his poor finishing ability. Tre has also shown the ability to self-create for himself and make room for pullup jumpers, in addition to piecing together a few dribble moves to get to his spots (be it from midrange or the rim – notwithstanding his poor finishing ability, the ability to get into the paint is still there). Has ability to pull up in transition when he has time to set – not particularly efficient here yet, but flashes have been good – 7/21 on above the break 3s. Off the bounce, Tre does a fantastic job squaring up in air off a dribble from either hand. However, as with his C&S form, his guide hand plays an impact here as well, leading to inconsistent results. Some shots look smooth with the guide hand more on the side, but then others have it on top and in front, blocking a clean release. Nice ability to space from above the break in the halfcourt (non-transition attempts) – 25/63.
Shot IQ: Good shot IQ. Does a nice job getting to his spots in the halfcourt and not forcing many shots he shouldn’t be taking. Might miss the occasional swing pass or kickout on drives, but not someone who will shut down ball movement to try and create looks for himself. Takes a good amount of jumpers from midrange and doesn’t hit them at a high clip (39/108), but these are good looks he’s able to get in the flow of the offense…and frankly, they are looks he’ll have to take/make because of his poor finishing ability – he has to be able to hit these to pull defenders towards him in PnR. Basically, even he does a good job getting to his spots and takes shots he is comfortable with taking, can make, and has to take due to defensive scheming and trying to open up lanes a bit more. I would like to see him up his volume from three a bit more, though.
Handle: Good handle and uses it, in conjunction with his change of pace, to get free from defenders. Really does a nice job piecing moves together to throw the defense and create a bit of space on the perimeter, or get downhill. Pretty full package in terms of what he can do. Nice job lulling the defender to sleep by slowing down, and then changing speed to get his driving lane. Does not have great burst off the bounce, but his change of pace dribble, hesitation, and in-and-out do a nice job keeping the defender off balance and giving him room to attack. Keeps crossovers low and does a nice job changing directions, through plant-crossovers, spins, etc. Can dribble into traffic, allowing defenders to poke their hands in to disrupt his handle. Would like to see him use his body a bit more to keep the defender away from poking the ball away from behind. Not many live-ball dribbling turnovers, but he is prone to losing the ball and recovering on the perimeter as he’s making his move. Handle turnovers appear to come from his man being caught behind and reaching in. Needs to do a better job protecting the ball going into a pass or shot – ball gets away from him in the transition period, as it looks like he brings the ball a bit too far out of his body. (Might have smaller hands, too?
Passing: Reactive passer – reads the court and then passes. A “game manager” initiator who does a nice job getting everyone in position and making a read to get the offense moving, including swing passes. However, he does not have great vision – most reads are simple ones, which limits playmaking ability (in addition to his height). Accuracy can use some work and decision-making between the type of pass (chest vs bounce), and angle taken passing the ball, can use some work. Generally speaking, he does a nice job making decisions passing the ball – the biggest issue for him here, however, is he is prone to giving in under pressure and forcing a pass he should not be making. Needs to do a better job moving from his handle to a pass – ball can slip away from him, or positioning off the pass (angle from which he’s passing) might provide an opportunity for defenses to poke their hand in. Generally speaking, he does a nice job making decisions passing the ball – the biggest issue for him here, however, is he is prone to giving in under pressure and forcing a pass he should not be making. Nice passer in transition too, doing a good job getting his team in the right spot and pushing the pace. Solid D&K passer as well, though a bit limited with defenses sitting on his finishing ability. All in all, he’s more of a game-managing passer – someone who makes the smart read to get the offense moving, but not someone who can run an offense by himself without a set system in place (and preferably other playmakers) due to his lack of high-level reads (and a lack of athleticism that is not able to create simpler looks for team by collapsing the defense). Smart passer, though.
PnR (General): Not a very nuanced PnR playmaker, but does a nice job getting to his spots. Would like to see him try to get into the paint a bit more before kicking it out. Shows flashes of setting up screens / snaking, but does not happen that often. Not particularly turnover prone – high TO% no Synergy includes many turnovers after he had completed the pass. Good decision-maker overall, both deciding when to shoot / pass. Has nice change of pace to get defender off balance. Nice split between passing and shooting, though his efficiency has to improve (especially in the paint).
PnR Passing: Not an advanced PnR passer – really just takes what the defense gives him. Has not shown much ability in manipulating the defense with pass fakes/head fakes. Does a nice job taking both defenders, when possible, leading to easier kickouts to the perimeter or the roll man if there is an opening. Nice job keeping his head up, but the reads he makes are simple ones. Sometimes zones in on a particular read he wants to make when there is an easier pass available, leading to forced looks and the receiving player with limited options upon the catch. Not super turnover prone passing the ball, but can force the ball to teammates where there is not a viable passing lane available (the high TO% on Synergy includes turnovers from teammates after the pass and being stripped). biggest strength here is probably quick decision-making, getting rid of the ball to an open teammate while the defense is still moving. Has shown some flashes driving and kicking after hesitations going downhill, but he’s more east-west than north-south in the PnR. Much more comfortable hitting the perimeter than passing to the screener – a couple of flashes with lobs and pocket passes, but not many at all. His downhill attacks off the screen often stop at the elbow before making a decision, making him a little easier to defend – poor finishing ability hurts him here as well because his poor finishing ability does not call for extra help. *It should be noted that he was more willing to hit the role man last year, so the drop-off might be team dependent.*
PnR Scoring: Tre’s PnR scoring potential is heavily dependent, if not fully dependent, on his ability to hit pullup jumpers and hit runners. Right now, Tre has issues finishing in the paint – 16/37 in the paint overall. Defenses will likely be willing to risk someone like Tre, who does not have much vertical pop in the paint, in 1 on 1 coverage at the rim instead of giving up a mid-range jumper…meaning, if he does not have that jumper to go to, teams can sit on him as a scorer and play the pass pretty heavily. Tre shot 21/57 on all jumpers out of the PnR, a percentage that has to get higher. Digging into a bit deeper, he also shot 5/11 on 3s off the PnR when the defender goes under the screen or just walking into the pullup 3. Tre has the ability to hit shots off the bounce from midrange, but, as I have mentioned multiple times already, the results are not consistent yet the middle game is especially important for him considering how inefficient he is at the rim. If the 3 remains a shot he can beat defenses by (not necessarily at 45%), when defenses go over the screen, he’ll need another way to beat them – pullup jumpers from the elbows could be that shot.
Awareness / Team Defense: High IQ team defender, but had a drop this year with an increase in usage/larger offensive role – all around on defense, not just team defense. Does a nice job playing positional defense when defending off ball, talks on defense and points out where everyone needs to be, stunts/tags off ball, etc. Nice job positioning himself to help and stay within a distance to get back to his man without major scrambling. Game manager on defense, making sure team is on the same page. Not someone who makes rotations on the interior to protect the rim, but does a nice job helping off his man along the perimeter when necessary – to keep the shell, go to open man/next pass, etc. Nice job tagging the roll and recovering to his assignment, when playing help defense. Head is on a swivel keeping track of his man and the actions. Nice defensive playmaker reading the passing lanes and knowing where to position himself – opportunistic shooting the gap and knowing when/where to go for the steal without jeopardizing the team defense– as with his ISO defense, his high-level anticipation/IQ really shows here. Can get a bit too aggressive at times, but it’s not a recurring issue. Super quick hands reaching in from behind / on the side.
Rim Protection: N/A for team-defense. Size and lack of pop limits him here as a weakside rim protector. Smart defender, but few rotations on the interior this season. Rim protection numbers from the shot chart are boosted by help defense. Did a solid job contesting on ball paint shots – was able to take bumps, had solid timing, and was able to get back in front of the ballhandler going downhill…However, his size/length and athletic limitations hurt him here against bigger and more athletic players – even in college, players were able to shoot/finish over him, despite Tre being right there contesting.
PnR Defense: Good PnR defender. Though he can get screener off and play from behind on some plays, Tre does a nice job getting back into the play and either playing from behind if the ballhandler is heading downhill or getting back to his assignment on the perimeter – rarely does he just give up. Nice footwork at the point of attack with a 2 plant/3 step get through. Has shown the ability to get skinny and over the top of screens or simply beat the screen high before the screener can set. However, he is also prone to relaxing at the point of attack (or reaching in at an inopportune time) when he thinks the ballhandler is about to attack, leading to driving lanes for the ballhandler – might be some miscommunications involved here as well, though. Lack of size/length precludes him from being switchable going forward – if there is a forced switch, team defense needs to be on point to either help immediately on a post or have another defender readily available to switch Tre off the screener.
Shot Contests / Closeouts: Nice job closing out – hustles out to shooters. Pretty clean form and does not give up clear driving lanes – does not really overextend or open up his hips too much. Nice job staying neutral and in his stance, ready to move when necessary. Does not have great athleticism (speed or pop) when getting out to shooters, but is able to get out and recover nonetheless even when in help because of his good positioning off ball. Contesting bigger 3/D wings might be problematic because of his lack of pop, though.
Off Ball Defense: Good off ball defender. Does a nice job getting through screens and getting back into the play, even when screened / bumped off slightly from his trailing position. Does a good job contesting from the side / back when necessary. Smart with the angles he takes, and tries shooting the gap for steals here. Comfortable having him defending movement shooters in off-ball actions. Also does a nice job seeing the ball and man, not being taken off guard by his assignment moving off screens or relocating.
Man (ISO) Defense: Good isolation defender, even though he does not have great athletic tools. He’s quick, but not super quick – he makes his money in isolation with his anticipation beating the ballhandler to the spot. Also does a nice job getting downhill pretty quickly and changing directions/flipping hips (more fluid than immediate quickness here, though). Slides well laterally. If the ballhandler gets an angle to drive, Tre usually does a nice job getting back in the play. He is prone to crossing his feet on occasion and opening his hips too much, both after flipping his hips on drives and just going from a neutral stance to angling the ballhandler a specific direction. Can also be caught resting on his heels. Also can get a bit too close to the defender before he makes his move, or on the initial dribble, which can give the ballhandler a half second to get ahead. As with PnR defense, he is prone to relaxing in his stance on occasion, giving ballhandler a moment to exploit. Quick hands.
Footwork: His stance is a bit too hunched over / forward, though it looked a bit better this year. Slides well, has flashed absolutely beautiful technique changing directions/flipping hips on drives – planting the outside/lead foot, and pivoting on the inside (though sometimes can open too far). Hip turns are fluid, though not super quick – does not rely on an extra step as he’s flipping them. His actual footwork is solid and slides well – may cross his feet on occasion, but it’s not a super common occurrence. Would like to see him improve his balance/core strength a bit more, because when going downhill/moving full speed, he is susceptible to stop and go moves. As mentioned above, though he does not always have an opportunity to get over the screen, Jones’ footwork in the PnR is generally good with 3 steps/2 plants and over. However, he has to stop relaxing at the POA when he thinks the ballhandler is about to attack.
Potential Switchability: Not switchable. Though he does play with some physicality, his strength and size limitations pretty much limits him to being a PG defender, with some potential ability defending smaller 2s.
10/14/2020 6:38 AM