NBA Comparison: Anthony Randolph

Strengths: A super athletic forward with an enormous upside … His explosiveness and physical package put him in a very rare group of players even at the top level … Possesses the versatility to play inside and on the perimeter … He is extremely fast, using his long and powerful strides to cover great distance in a very short time … A very natural and smooth athlete, he is able to change direction and get off the ground (even on 2nd and 3rd jumps) with ease … Has the ability and confidence to handle the ball in the open court and is willing to push it out in transition once he gets it off the glass … Shows an intriguing repertoire of moves off the dribble (going to both hands), add to that his extremely long and fairly quick first step and it makes for a very difficult weapon to match up with off the bounce … He has a knack for moving without the ball; he makes good cuts going to the basket and knows how to find the openings off drive & dish or pick & roll situations … His ability to catch difficult passes in traffic also makes him a good passing target inside … Once his catches the ball close to the hoop, he is an extremely efficient finisher, because he knows how to utilize his length and leaping ability … He is able to do some damage on the low block because of his reach and athleticism, but he is most effective when facing up, because he can use his quickness to get by opposing bigs … He is a decent rebounder, and when he makes up his mind to go get the ball, he becomes a threat on both ends of the floor … Has the potential to become an impact player on the defensive end, where his wingspan could wreak havoc in the passing lanes and in the blocked shots department …

Weaknesses: Even with all of his tools and upside, he's still a project and very much an unpolished product … He had a solid first season, but still fell short of the expectations and hype he had coming out of high school (part of the problem were the system and his teammates who were less than willing to get him the ball) … A big question mark is his demanor and approach to the game, too many times he is satisfied by just coasting and taking the easy route … The lack of strength and unwillingness to play to contact further add to his somewhat soft label … His lanky frame and high center of gravity allow much smaller players to body and push him off balance and he does not show the willingness to battle back … Finishing off the dribble is also a problem because any bump from a defender throws him out of stride and he is more willing to take an off balance shot rather than one through contact … He is still very young in terms of his development age and it shows in his careless and lackadaisical play with the ball … Lacking the savvy and understanding of angles, he has a hard time finding his passing target on a regular basis … His jumpshot has a lot of promise, but it is a bit of a mystery; he seems to have a fairly smooth stroke, his release shows fluidity and he has a nice rhythm shooting off the dribble or on the move, however the results and consistency are lacking … His potential in terms of rebounding and defense is unlimited, he has the tools to defend all five positions and the athleticism to get his hands on a high percentage of missed shots, however, at this point in his career he does not show the willingness to defend or rebound on a regular basis …

Notes: Due to “impermissible benefits” he was declared ineligible near the end of the season. As a result, if he was to come back to school next year, he would have to miss 5 games and pay back $700.

Borko Popic 3/24/11

Strengths: Has incredible length for a wing player – has a 7’2.5” wingspan ... His NBA position is definitely on the wing as his perimeter skills - notably ball handling, lateral foot speed and athleticism - are phenomenal ... He can shoot the three, or pull up off the dribble, but is much better when attacking the basket ... He loves to work from the top of the key and take his man off the dribble, getting into the lane where he can use his size ... He has a tendency to take on two and three defenders at a time but is great at initiating contact and squaring up for one-handed runners and floaters to finish near the rim, when he's not throwing down highlight dunks ... Jones shows an aggressiveness and emotional fire that scouts like to see in players with this much potential.

Weaknesses: He sometimes tries to do too much, which at the high school level is completely fine because of his talent ... However, as he grows up and plays at higher levels he will have to learn to work with his teammates and improve his basketball IQ in this area if he expects to be a star ... He is special with the ball in his hands but isn't all that helpful when that's not the case ... His length makes him intimidating on defense but he doesn't give maximum effort on this side of the ball ... He will often coast on plays, standing on the three-point line waiting for the ball ... He can shoot from the perimeter but isn’t yet consistent ... Is expected to play a good deal in the post in his senior year at Duncanville, so his development on the perimeter (his long term position is small forward) will likely come in college ...

Notes: At the 2009 AAU Tournament when asked who was better, Tony Wroten or Perry Jones, University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said, "Perry is the best pro prospect here [in Vegas]."

Joshua Motenko 7/26/09

NBADraft.net Interview

YouTube Clip - 7/18/2009

YouTube Clip - 4/6/2010

YouTube Clip - 1/24/2011