In what was a bit of a stunner, Perry Jones III dropped all the way to the 28th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Oklahoma City was fully expected to take a European or trade down in the draft. However, with PJ3 dropping it was hard to pass up. Oklahoma City selected him with the 28th pick of of the draft.
He was a projected top 10 pick last season, but due to the lockout, decided to return to college. He’s very versatile, athletic and can really rebound the basketball. It’s almost a full blown steal grabbing him at the 28th spot.
He has a real knock on him for at times his lack of motivation to the sport, but has the real tools to be a full blown super star. However, in a lock room like Oklahoma City, I think motivation and getting to practice may not be an issue. He has some weaknesses: 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.
He is really praised though, 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. 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 big men.
Overall, I’m very happy with this pick. I think Oklahoma City got a complete steal tonight. It’s probably taking a spot from a real veteran who could have helped this team win championships. We all know Sam Presti is a long term thinker, and I think this is a solid selection. A low risk, high reward selection. Expect Jones to be a few minutes a game man. He’ll probably be back and forth from Tulsa, and most likely will play with the Thunder in the Summer League Games.
