Dahntay Jones Draft Capsule June 22, 2003 VITALS: 6-6, 214, senior, Duke OVERVIEW: Jones played his final two college seasons at Duke after two successful seasons at Rutgers. As a sophomore at Rutgers, Jones was seventh in the Big East Conference in scoring at 16.0 points per game before transferring. Last season, Jones emerged as Duke's team leader by averaging 17.7 points per game and making the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team. Jones averaged 24.7 points per game in Duke's three NCAA Tournament games a year ago. The Blue Devils reached the "Sweet 16" in each of his two seasons. Jones was one of college basketball's most explosive leapers and improved his perimeter game, shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc as a senior after shooting just 31 percent in his first three college seasons. Jones' father, Larry, played basketball at St. Peter's College and Jones is a cousin of Indiana Pacers forward Al Harrington. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Late first or early second round. Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Golden State, Indiana, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York and Seattle are among the teams that have worked out Jones. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Desmond Mason, Felipe Lopez COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Corey Benjamin, Rodney Buford ROLE PROJECTION: Key reserve. POSITIVES: You will not find many physical specimens at your guard position, but Jones is one of them. He has legitimate 2-guard height with a muscular physique that puts him over the top. Combine Jones' body with quickness and a vertical leap that make jaws drop and what is left is a player with the ability to overpower or outmaneuver his opponents. SHORTCOMINGS: Jones never was a consistent perimeter shooter at the college level until he showed promise as a senior. Consequently, the jury is still out on Jones' jump shot. Continued improvement in that area is a must if Jones hopes to develop into anything more than a bench player. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: "Dahntay I really like. He really improved his shooting this year. I think he is a guy who is an excellent defender and a skywalker. Dahntay could slip into the first round. When you compare him to some of the international guys, you have to say, 'What do you want? A guy like Jones, who you have seen and you know who is going to be around? Or a guy who has not played in the States, who is a bigger risk?' NBA assistant director of scouting Ryan Blake
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "Dr. Funk":</div><div class="quote_post">He is a good player to have on you IR list.</div> i don't think he will be an effective starter.
Dahntay will be exactly like a Desmond Mason, pretty slow development, and by his third year he will average 14-16ppg off the bench. Hes a Key Reserve.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "thefranchise3":</div><div class="quote_post">Dahntay will be exactly like a Desmond Mason, pretty slow development, and by his third year he will average 14-16ppg off the bench. Hes a Key Reserve.</div> It depends on which team he goes to. Most teams are stacked with SG's.
mason is awesome, i like him a lot, i don't think jones could be like that though. i guess i just hate dukies
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "sportsrock37":</div><div class="quote_post">mason is awesome, i like him a lot, i don't think jones could be like that though. i guess i just hate dukies</div> yeah i think thats the case, because he is almost an exact replica of desmond.
