Kai Jones, PF
Very few prospects in this draft class skyrocketed their way up the boards the way that the former Texas Longhorns breakthrough sophomore power forward and former underrated four-star recruit Kai Jones did last season. In a big regular season for the now-former Texas head coach Shaka Smart and his Longhorns team, Jones was one of the stewards of a Big 12 Title-caliber season.
The problem that Jones and the Longhorns faced to round out last season for their squad was the early exit in March Madness. Jones played pretty well for the Longhorns down the stretch, but that didn’t help his team stave off a massive upset from the Abilene Christian Wildcats in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament.
However, Jones did solidify himself as a first-round draft pick last season. He’s got a special combination of length, athleticism, and solid shooting stroke from deep. Jones has the type of potential to put up similar blocking and rebounding numbers to someone like the Kentucky product Jackson and shoot efficiently from deep like Johnson.
During his sophomore campaign playing for the Longhorns, Jones averaged 8.8 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks. And he shot 58.0 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 68.9 percent from the free-throw line.
At 6-foot-11 and 220 pounds, Jones looks like he could be an ideal modern big man that could fit a plethora of roles in the NBA.