Dillon Jones is one of the more unique prospects in the NBA Draft. His versatile skill set could make him an impactful player in the NBA. The six-foot-six forward has an interesting blend of size, skill, and basketball IQ that he used effectively as the main option at Weber State.
Dillon Jones 2024 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Jones spent his entire collegiate career at Weber State, with improvement to his game coming each year. As a freshman, Jones only played in 23 games and started in two of them. In his sophomore year, his playing time expanded considerably, which resulted in higher production. Moving into this past season, Jones’ junior year saw another jump in production with Jones becoming the main option for the Wildcats. He averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Jones averaged those numbers shooting 54% from the field, 32.4% from three, and 85.7% from the free-throw line. As the main option, Jones showcased his talents, playing physically on both offense and defense, gobbling up rebounds, and serving as the quarterback of the Wildcat offense.
During his time at Weber State, Jones obtained several accolades. Jones obtained the Big Sky Rookie of the Year award during his freshman year. He made the All-Big Sky second team and All-Big Sky Tournament in 2022. Additionally, Jones made the All-Big Sky first team and made the All-Big Sky Tournament again in 2023. Furthermore, Jones once again made the All-Big Sky first team and became the Big Sky Player of the Year in 2024.
Strengths
The true strength of Jones is his versatility and he demonstrated at Weber State that he can do many different things well. On the offensive side of the court, Jones plays with great physicality going to the basket. He is a very good finisher around the rim, just above shooting 60% at the rim, and he can play through contact using his strength. His finishing ability is most apparent in transition, where he brushes off contact for the finish. Another strength of Jones is his pick-and-roll ball handling, where he is adept at both scoring and playmaking. Specifically, his overall playmaking is strong, where he has a 31% assist rate, and Jones knows where the ball needs to go. He is also a great connective playmaker off the ball as well. While he’s not the most efficient shooter, Jones is capable of shooting threes, especially when spotting up.
On the defensive side, Jones plays defense with the same physicality as on offense. His size at six-foot-six is good for his position and it helps defend against smaller players. He isn’t the quickest or the most athletic, but he has just enough speed to keep up with those smaller players. His physicality and strength do help in terms of being able to hold his own against bigger players. Though, the most stand-out skill of Jones on defense is his ability to generate turnovers. He averaged two steals per game this past season and he is very aware at knowing when or where to pick off passes. In that sense, Jones is a good team defender. Additionally, Jones is an excellent rebounder and he uses his strength to battle with bigger players for boards.
Weaknesses
For the weaknesses that Jones has, the most apparent one is that Jones isn’t the greatest athlete. Due to that, Jones is more of a below-the-rim finisher and isn’t much of a shot-blocker. Additionally, Jones isn’t the quickest laterally, which means he struggles to guard on-ball at times. Jones isn’t the best shooter, especially from longer ranges. However, he is much better and more efficient shooting the ball spotting-up, so Jones is at least capable of shooting threes. Ironically, while Jones is good at generating turnovers, he also commits quite a few turnovers himself, averaging three per game. He will need to improve on cutting down his turnovers, though a smaller role can help with that. Lastly and speaking of a smaller role, there are questions on how Jones can translate his production into a smaller role in the NBA.
NBA Comparison
Jones’s game may remind some of David Roddy, especially the similar physical frames and bully-ball driving ability. Another name that comes to mind is Kyle Anderson. While Jones is shorter than Anderson, who is currently with the Western Conference Finalist Minnesota Timberwolves, both are forwards who do a little bit of everything and can serve in a point-forward role if needed.
