Detroit Pistons NBA Draft 2021: 5 players Detroit should avoid
Detroit Pistons: 2021 NBA Draft prospect to avoid, Kai Jones
Kai Jones is a guy I’ve seen mocked everywhere from the top-10 all the way to the back of the first round, so scouts don’t know what to make of him either.
He’s a great athlete who can fly out of the gym and should at least be a good shot blocker and rim runner.
If he goes in the 20’s or the beginning of the second round (unlikely) then I wouldn’t have any problem with him as a prospect.
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But I am never completely sold on guys who rely heavily on athleticism as their selling point, as that eventually goes away and all NBA players are great athletes.
He reminds me too much of Jaxson Hayes, a guy who is an elite athlete for his size but can’t really do anything with the ball and can look lost on defense.
Jones projects as a guy who will eventually develop an outside shot, and if that happens, he’ll be very good. But there are a lot of ifs here, and the Pistons already have plenty of athletic guys who can’t shoot.
He’s a long shot anyway, but not a guy I would trade up to get.