How Colby Jones Fits with the OKC Thunder
With the Oklahoma City Thunder entering the offseason, it’s officially time to time to switch gears to prospect evaluation mode.
And this year’s impending draft has plenty of players that can help bolster the OKC core.
No matter how unlikely it is Oklahoma City lands certain prospects, the Thunder Fit series will take a look at how they would fit with the current team’s configuration. And with a war chest of assets, you never know how far the front office could move up to acquire a player.
The next prospect up in the series is Xavier guard Colby Jones, who had a solid junior campaign with the Musketeers.
Here’s how Jones could fit alongside the rest of the Thunder core:
Offense
At 6-foot-5, Jones is a jumbo do-it-all guard who fits the Thunder’s mold well. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals for Xavier last season, stuffing the stat-sheet near-nightly to propel the Musketeers to wins.
Even more, he’s a moderately strong shooter — 38 percent on 3.3 attempts per game — and could slot into a variety of roles such as facilitator, slasher and even spot-up shooter for the team that drafts him.
With Oklahoma City, Jones would add to the team’s versatility, providing another useful Swiss Army knife at the “guard” spot.
The primary issue is that Jones may not be in OKC’s range. He’s been graded anywhere from a mid-first to early second selection, but likely won’t be around at No. 37. In order to nab him, Oklahoma City would likely have to package some of its draft stash and move into the first round.
If the team is set on packaging picks together, Jones could be a legitimate target.
Defense
Defensively, Jones is sound and attentive, meaning he’d slot into Oklahoma City’s system just fine. He moves his feet well, and generated a decent amount of steals by being in the right place at the right time with the Musketeers.
He doesn’t have premier natural defensive ability, but he can realistically guard one through three, and effort will go a long ways in a Thunder system anchored by Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren and more.
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