How Jayden Stone can Replace Marques Warrick: The Extra Point

Missouri Basketball is in need of a new microwave scorer.

Antelopes Guard Jayden Stone (14), left, drives to the basket while being guarded by Mustangs Guard Andrew Leonard (11), right, during the second half against Western New Mexico University at Grand Canyon University Arena on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Phoenix. Cent02 7i7a9pzftlj5zthw2uf Original | Antranik Tavitian/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Missouri On SI basketball reporter Killian Wright breaks down the role Jayden Stone can play for the Tigers next season, and its similarities to Marques Warrick last season.

Welcome to Missouri Tigers On SI's "Extra Point," a video series featuring the site's Missouri beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers provide analysis on a topic concerning the Tigers or the landscape of college sports.

Off the backs of a 22-12 season, Missouri Tigers basketball lost plenty of contributors to graduation, the portal or the NBA Draft. One of those players was graduate student guard Marques Warrick, who ran out of eligibility.

Warrick was brought to Missouri in the 2024 offseason, after spending his previous four seasons with Northern Kentucky. In 2023-2024, Warrick averaged a career high in points per game with 19.9, propelling him to the NCAA's active leading scorer at the time.

Warrick was the engine of the Northern Kentucky offense, and scored from just about anywhere on the court. He'd averaged at least 15 points per game in each of his four seasons with the program, and shot at least 35 percent from 3-point range in all but his final season.

However, the Tigers brought him in with a different plan in mind. Scaling up to the competition of the Southeastern Conference for the first time in his career, Warrick would have to take on a smaller role than the one he captained at Northern Kentucky. With Missouri, his minutes dropped from 36.2 to 13.5 per game, and he acted primarily as a microwave bench scorer.

He thrived in the role, stepping up in big moments when needed –– 17 points against Kentucky, 16 points against Arkansas and 19 points against Auburn to name a few. His minutes fluctuated depending on how many shots he was knocking down, but played a notable role with the team nonethless.

As the Tigers lost Warrick over the offseason, the program sought out to find a new spark-plug bench scorer, and landed one in the form of journeyman Jayden Stone. Stone missed his 2024-2025 season with an injury, but will be suiting up for Missouri in 2025-2026. Before that, he averaged over 20 points per game with Detroit Mercy, leading their offense as the top creator.

He'll be asked to scale down in the same manner that Warrick was, given the two's similar pasts.

Warrick 2023-2024	Warrick 2024-2025	Stone 2023-2024	Stone 2025-2026
36.2 MPG	13.5 MPG	35.9 MPG	?
19.9 PPG	6.6 PPG	20.8 PPG	?
42.5 / 29.8 / 86.7 splits	48.1 / 45.6 / 80.5 splits	42.2 / 31.2 / 79.4 splits	?

While Stone's usage and role would decrease with Missouri, his efficiency could spike playing alongside stars like Anthony Robinson and Mark Mitchell, as he'll have much more easier looks than at Detroit Mercy.

Warrick wasn't depended on every game, but came through when the team couldn't buy a bucket. Expect Stone to fill his shoes next season as the Tigers' spark-plug off the bench.