Isaac Jones Scouting Report

From Portsmouth Invitational to the NBA Draft Combine. What's the NBA intrigue for the fifth-year senior? What's his NBA role and draft range? Find out more below.

After redshirting his first year, Jones earned a Division I transfer after two successful seasons at Wenatchee Valley (WA) College at the JUCO level Jones earned a transfer to Idaho. He earned a spot in the Big Sky Second Team All-Conference by putting up 19.4 points per game.

Hereafter, the fifth-year senior earned a move up to the PAC-12, where he was a deciding factor in Washington State’s run to the NCAA Tournament. After another productive year at 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, Jones earned another All-Conference honor, and this time it was in the First Team.

With production being a more crucial factor for seniors, Jones has improved each season, earning himself a call-up to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. And via the G League Elite Camp, Jones fought himself to a spot in the prestigious NBA Draft Combine.

This report will primarily focus on his NBA role.

Physical Profile

At 6’9” in shoes, Jones stands out with his length. With a 7’3” wingspan, he plays much taller than he is due to his good vertical pop. With a great frame, Jones is ready for the physical battle against most NBA forwards and big men.

His 235 pounds is a result of his hard work. While adding more muscle to his frame in the last few years, Jones kept his athletic traits as a mobile big man with fluid hips and good verticality.

Jones’ footwork on the defensive end combined with his good acceleration makes it possible for him to guard away from the paint. With the lack of plus-size for his position, that’s an important area where he can still positively impact a team’s defensive rating.

Defense

In the NBA, Jones has to show that he can guard against closeouts effectively. On that end, his footwork is very good. In the first three plays below, Jones aggressively plants his pivot foot, controlling his opponent’s drive. By fluidly moving his hips he responds to his opponents being forced to change sides, with the first two plays showing examples of it.

For the next level, an NBA decision-maker must focus on his aggressiveness in contesting shots at the rim on these sequences. Jones does everything well but usually doesn’t reward himself near the rim by adding the same intensity to contesting attempts near the rim. Regardless, the basis of Jones’ ability to defend effectively is visible in Jones’ profile.

We see the same positives in Jones’ footwork when he’s guarding against spot-up shooters. However, an area of development for him is to rotate a tad quicker at the next level. There’s improvement throughout the season, however at times, Jones is still too late to close out to extra passes on the perimeter where opponents find open shooters. That’s something he’ll often face at the NBA level.

In the first play below, we see an example of the above-mentioned. However, Jones does well in tracking the play but was located too far from the elbow to execute his read. That’s often the case. The other three plays are an example of his processing on this end.

In general, late closeouts are an effect of bad awareness or ball-watching. But in Jones’ case, his positioning inside the arc is often the reason for being late to contest shooters. That’s fixable with more reps in a faster-paced G League game he’ll be challenged to improve on this end.

As an off-ball defender, Jones shows good awareness but at times he’s not consistent on this end. In the last play below, Jones misses the backdoor cut and comes up lucky with the inaccurate pass by his opponent. Outside of that, Jones shows that as a weakside defender or when he’s planted in the paint, his fluid hips help him to defend against the cutter when dropoff passes occur.

In the first play below, we see the mobility in his profile, which will help him on an NBA floor when a team schemes by keeping him in the paint to defend against opponents pressuring the rim. At times, Jones can jump too often in the paint. In the second play below, we see a well-executed lob pass to which Jones couldn’t do much, but it shows that he’s vulnerable at committing to contesting rim pressure by jumping. With his good vertical pop and slower second jump, that’s an area of development an NBA decision-maker should keep an eye on.

As a pick-and-roll defender, Jones was playing in a drop-coverage-heavy scheme at Washington State. That’s where he’s the most comfortable with. At times, he shows his value in heading, or even blitzing ball handlers. What stands out in his plays as a pick-and-roll defender is the distance he keeps between himself and the ball handler.

He’s using his length to his advantage. And due to his plus footwork, Jones can afford to impact a ball handler by luring him to a certain driving lane, as shown in the second play below. The fading finish at the rim led to a foul call not every referee will have, but it shows that Jones’ processing and execution of his reads are positive. He gets snaked in the first play but recovers well due to his fluid hips.

In the last play below, we see how Jones’ feeling for the game as a pick-and-roll defender led to him not biting on fakes or being forced out of balance via the opponent’s jab steps. He shows that he knows that the incoming ball screen is on its way, being ready to put himself in tag mode or force his teammate to rotate when the strong side is utilized. For NBA teams, his value as a pick-and-roll defender will come in handy. At only 2.0 personal fouls in almost 32 minutes per game, his defense comes with no risks of foul trouble, adding value to his whole defensive profile.

Offense

On an NBA floor, Jones will earn the majority of his points as a play-finisher. What stands out in his profile is the level of screening. Despite the NBA moving in a trend that results in a lower amount of attempts as the pick-and-roll roll man in the last few years, Jones will find a few of these in a game.

His screening activity on the perimeter combined with his understanding of when to roll, opens up a niche role for him to excel in as a short-roll playmaking and rim-finisher combined. Jones’ fearless character leads to him attempting to finish hard at the rim on each play. This is one of the reasons why he’s at 5.5 free-throw attempts per game while shooting a healthy 71.2% at the line. We see an example of this in the first and second plays below. The efficiency from the line also makes him more valuable in the sense that a team can play him in game-closing minutes.

An important nuance to add is that it’s not all rim-attack mode with Jones. He’s good at recognizing what the defense is giving up. In the last play below, we see his footwork and composure led to the easy layup finish despite the big man being in rim-protection mode. Making smart plays in scarce rim attempts on an NBA floor is the early value riser in his offensive profile.

While putting up 1.7 and 1.5 assists per game in the last two seasons, the numbers don’t stand out. However, where considering his role as a scoring-heavy big man, Jones wasn’t asked much to be the facilitator or ball-mover inside the arc. For the NBA, Jones stands out in executing basic reads, with his composure being his biggest weapon.

That combined with his good decision-making with the ball in his hands, shows that he doesn’t need much time to keep the ball moving. This benefits a team’s pace thus leading to more field goal attempts per game to increase the odds of maintaining a team’s offensive rating.

In the first play below, Jones gets the ball at the top of the key, and with no handoff options, he doesn’t hesitate to make the correct play by keeping the ball moving with the entry pass down low. In the second play, we see Jones show his creativity via post-ups, as he leverages his strength advantage to lure help defense in before hitting the cutter for the dunk. In the last play below, we see important short-roll-playmaking flashes.

Jones’ quick decision-making, accurate passing, and composure while taking very little time off the clock gives an NBA decision-maker enough of sample size and feasibility to invest in his future as a short-roll playmaker. Especially considering the mobility he possesses.

Another area where Jones can find himself a few attempts per game is by attacking closeouts or faking the passes on the perimeter to attack the rim, as he did in the fourth play below. However, Jones tends to force his offense at times, which was partially his role as one of Washington State’s leading scorers. On an NBA floor, his making the extra pass in the first two plays, instead of forcing his shots will benefit his game and chances to stay on an NBA floor.

Jones is not an explosive athlete, but he uses his craft and footwork to create advantages, as he did in the third play. Lovely use of the jab step after faking the midrange pull-up. As a fifth-year senior, his feel for the game and decision-making are two major positives. And the shot selection on his part is something an NBA decision-maker must make a part of his developmental plan for the first years of his NBA career.

In terms of Jones’ off-ball offense, his ability to find play finishes at the rim on cuts is what’ll keep him on an NBA floor. His combination of composure and decision-making opens his game up to thrive at the next level. In the first play below, we see Jones creating his look at the rim by forcing the help defense to collapse on him before the kick-out pass. His quick cut to the rim is the reward for his hard work before the finish.

With NBA offenses moving more toward being motion-based, Jones will be challenged to keep the ball moving more to create plays like these more often. In the last play below we see how Jones recognizes angles to put himself into position for the ball handler. What stood out is that when Jones is moving off the ball, he’s always looking to position himself to stay within passing reach at all times, an underrated but crucial part of a cutter’s game.

NBA Draft Projection

Jones will be 23 years old on draft night and as a fifth-year senior, he shows an NBA-ready game with a clear role from day one. There is not much to consider in his profile in terms of untapped potential for the long term. However, by being one of the more NBA-ready prospects in this class, Jones will likely be on an NBA floor on opening night.

Dedication to the game and continuous development is something an NBA front office values. By earning a spot at the NBA Draft Combine via the route of the Portsmouth Invitational and the G League Elite Camp, Jones shows that his dedication to the game and hard work is starting to reap the rewards for Jones.

When considering Washington State’s team success and Jones’ continuation during the summer, I project him to be a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, likely to be selected in the 41 to 50 range.