Other Thoughts on Day 2 of the Elite 8

Day two of the Elite 8 brought us two very different games. The first game was a David vs Goliath matchup in which David actually won. In terms of NBA prospects, there were a few, but the game didn't hold too much extra weight in terms of stock. When June comes around, few will point to performances in that game as gospel. It was merely just another game in a lengthy evaluation process.

The Morris twins didn't show well, especially Markieff but everyone is prone to a bad night. The game served as another example as to why I am worried about the twins, although nothing was a new revelation. The Morris twins have shown time and time again that they will struggle converting buckets inside. Both lack the length and explosiveness to consistently get it done down low. They can hit fadeaway jumpers, but cleaning up the glass can become a tough task for them.

The second game of the night, North Carolina versus Kentucky, had a different feel to it. These teams were both equal in talent and stocked with NBA talent. This was a great chance to evaluate how certain NBA prospects fare against one another.

One matchup I was most interested in seeing was Terrence Jones and John Henson. Unfortunately for both players, Henson got in early foul trouble and Jones failed to capitalize on it. If you have been reading my blog, you know I have had concerns about Jones, and this game lead to others voicing their concerns too.

Jonathan Givony tweeted, "Terrence Jones has become, at best, Kentucky's 6th most important player. Breaking down his film from last 2 months probably won't be pretty. Not sure how much longer Terrence Jones can live off Maui performance. Wasn't considered one & done guy coming in. May need to rethink this."

It always feels good when respected scouts share come around to sharing the view you have expressed an entire year.

With Henson, I wouldn't be too worried about him fouling out. It was the first time in his career he has ever been disqualified. He can be too aggressive defensively, but he has been a huge deterrence in the paint. He has gotten his hand on more in bound passes recently than anyone else I can remember. His wingspan is huge and its not something he will leave behind in college. In the short time they shared the court together, Jones didnt overpower Henson. Henson is stronger than he looks. Ive been impressed with the positioning he has been able to get time and time again. Overall, I think Henson has helped his stock over the tournament if anything. You can comment on his boneheaded plays against Washington, but he is absolutely not a low IQ player. Coming to the conclusion will give you the wrong view on Henson. In fact, one of the most impressive things about Henson is his movement without the basketball on the offensive end. He always gets in great position for a ball handler to deliver him a pass and makes precise cuts to the hoop. Also, you don't grab over ten rebounds a game with a skinny frame if you don't know how to use your body and read where a ball is going.

Harrison Barnes was more aggressive than Ive ever seen him today. He could get his shot whenever he wanted and did just that. Early on, he settled for too many jumpers that he could get at anytime, but the clutch Barnes returned at the end of the game. It was a complete 360 from his performance in December against Kentucky where he only took ten shots. In the elite 8 game, he hoisted 19 shots while still being defended well by Liggins and company.


Speaking of Liggins, Kentucky native and Scout recruiting analyst tweeted that Liggins is the heart and soul of UK's team and added that his defense and toughness is off the charts. Ive always liked Liggins more than Darius Miller and think he could be a great pickup for any NBA team when he declares.

The last guy I will touch on is Tyler Zeller. I'm still having trouble figuring out his NBA future. I predicted in late November that I felt his stock will see a rise into the first round and it seems like it has. Agile, skilled, seven footers who get up and down the court are hard to find. Especially productive ones. Chad Ford says scouts compare him to a poor man's Pau Gasol. I have no problem with that comparison, but that doesn't help me at all. Now I have to figure out what the hell a poor man's Gasol equates too. Just how poor of a Gasol is he? With Gasol's hair and beard, he already looks poor himself.

Stock Attack: Terrence Jones

Current Consensus Projection: Lottery

Terrence Jones hit his freshman season with a head of steam this year, immediately planting himself in lottery discussions. After some huge games against Oklahoma (29pts 13boards) and Notre Dame (27pts 17boards) combined with a Irving injury and Barnes's struggle, he even received some support as the number one pick. He had the numbers, but to me, the numbers didnt exactly add up.

Now he has quietly comeback down to earth, while most still put him right outside of the top 5.  He's never been a top 5 pick in my mind, or even a lottery guy, and I feel like Ive already been somewhat justified in my beliefs. For one, Calipari has stated that he feels none of his players are ready for the NBA Draft. He didnt say that about Patterson, Wall, and Cousins. He's not the kind of coach that can sabotage players' stock for his own benefit.

But hey, if I relied on coaches to form opinions Id have Marshon Brooks pegged as the best scorer in the Big East and sure-fire first rounder, while believing that Kenneth Faried is the best thing since Dennis Rodman (credit to Rick Pitino for both). Ive taken in plenty of Terrence Jones games myself and see him having a rough transition into the league.

I have nothing against tweeners - if I did Id be attacking Vesely, Derrick Williams, and Kawhi Leonard too - but Terrence Jones college game thrives off of mismatches he wont see in the NBA. He faces up PFs and takes them off the dribble and takes smaller defenders into the post. I guess thats where the Lamar Odom comparisons come from, right?

But can he drive by small forwards or elite PFs?

He hasnt shown the skillset to make someone believe that he offers much variety offensively. He only drives  left. You wonder why his play dropped off going through the SEC a second time? Teams figured him out. Its not too hard. He can only drive left, he doesnt change directions well, and doesnt play smart team-oriented ball offensively. His shooting percentage has managed to drop. He's only shooting 43% from the floor now. It beats Harrison Barnes, but there is a big difference between them. Barnes has been scoring by using NBA moves, things that he will also be able to do at the next level. Also, Jones is a 3/4 while Barnes is a 2/3.

The rest of his offensive game isnt helping him. He can post guys up, but not even his biggest fans believe he will be a major post threat in the NBA. His jumper is ugly. He shoots 31% from 3 and 65% from the line. Jumpshots can always been fixed, but his needs a lot of work.

Lets get to the defensive end of the court. Who does he guard? The biggest thing that determines a tweener is the fact that they are in between postions not on offense, but on defense. Offenses can use tweeners to their advantage - on defense, they are often ostracized by opponents and exposed. In my opinion, Terrence Jones has a better shot at playing SF. He actually plays great on ball defense when given the opportunity. He wont be as good against NBA SFs, but I think he could be passable in terms of one on one defense. Too bad defense involves more than that, though, and that is where I question Jones's awareness and BBIQ. Time and time again, he will get himself out of positions trying to play help defense. Trying is the operative word because he usually just places himself in between ball and man without being in position to effect either. What ends up happening a lot of times is a skip pass to his man, which forces Jones to scramble back to his man. He closes out quick, but with no sense of defending the drive. He makes it very simple for the defender to catch the ball and use his momentum against him. He puts himself in these positions over and over again, which is frustrating to me that he doesnt recognize his bad positioning and ensuring close outs. Going along with that, he also tends to bite on play fakes and fall asleep and lose his man. He needs to show better commitment to all that defense in basketball entails - not just what he has to do when his man has the ball.

In the end, there are too many forwards out there that are better bets. Id take Kawhi Leonard, John Henson, Derrick Williams, Perry Jones, Jan Vesely, and possibly Tobias Harris before him. Those are just the combo guys. Other forwards Id take over him are Tyler Honeycutt, Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Tristan Thompson, Jordan Hamilton, and Marcus Morris. Coach Cal might be wrong, though, it might be best for Jones to leave before Kentucky's super class of forwards comes in to steal his minutes.