2012 NBA Draft Grades: Thunder Select Perry Jones III
Bryan Rosa – A Royal Pain
Wow – the rich get richer. Jones, one of the best pure talents in the NBA, slipped due to medical issues with his legs but slipping this far was pretty amazing. Thankfully for the Thunder though, they get a wonderful talent (despite the risk) for a cheap price. Really one of the best value picks in the entire draft.
Grade: A+
Bryan Wendland-Roberto Gato
This isn’t fair. A guy with the talent to go top ten goes to the Western Conference champs. The Thunder know how to draft, so it’ll be impossible to question this choice for a while. He’s going to be part of an excellent locker room for the foreseeable future, and with the chance of OKC losing Serge Ibaka or James Harden to free agency next year, a guy like Jones III is one hell of a steal this late in the draft.
Grade: A+
Quixem Ramirez- Air Alamo
Draft Express describes PJ3’s best-case scenario as Rudy Gay meets Josh Smith. The only reason I’m not rating this as an A+ for Oklahoma City is a meniscus issue in his knee that “could pose a problem down the road and at some point require surgery” according to Chad Ford. Regardless, PJ3 has an immense amount of talent that could easily outplay this selection. OKC just made themselves a lot better. Ugh.
Grade: A
Jack Winter-Saving the Skyhook
And so it was that the most athletic team in the NBA just got more athletic. Jones III was considered a potential first overall pick at times as a freshman and a top 10 lock as as sophomore, but fell due to an underwhelming 2011-2012 and lingering concerns over his knee. He’s huge, runs like a gazelle, and jumps like a giraffe; at this point in the draft, it’s extremely rare to find a player with his natural gifts. The concerns are obvious – he’s passive, passive, passive, and thinks he’s a 3 – but the potential reward here vastly outweighs them, especially for a Thunder organization that is known for cultivating and nurturing talent. What an awesome and surprising pick for OKC.
Grade: A