2019 NBA Mock Draft: Tankers beware

Jones might be a top-10 athlete in this draft, but provided almost nothing in terms of box score statistics despite being on a talented Alabama squad which made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. It’s tough to tell what that amounts to, but returning to school without the magnifying glass affixed to Collin Sexton drawing attention to his every game should help Jones grow.

Two interesting statistical indicators that do favor Jones are his steal and block rates, each over 3 percent. Only 24 qualified players in all of college basketball reached both of those benchmarks last season. Three — Gary Clark, Ray Spalding and Bonzie Colson — will play professionally next year, while two others — Ethan Happ and Matisse Thybulle — will be on draft radars in 2019.

But all of those guys are big men, making the blocked shots portion of those parameters much easier to reach. Jones is just a guy who at 6-7 can leap so high his hips are in line with the hoop, making shots thrown up in his vicinity almost sure to be spiked in the stands.

Without Sexton, coach Avery Johnson will bring back the majority of his core, meaning Jones can still exist in the background. Jones’ tiny 15 percent usage rate shouldn’t go much higher, but if he can take better shots, finish more consistently and cut back on turnovers, he will stand out to NBA teams even more.