Derrick Jones to UNLV: Rebels Land 4-Star SF Prospect

Small forward Derrick Jones, a 4-star recruit out of Archbishop Carroll High School in Philadelphia, announced his commitment to play college basketball at UNLV on Thursday.

Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader reported the news of Jones' decision:

Jones, who is ranked 41st overall and seventh at his position in 247Sports' composite rankings, is 6'6" and just 180 pounds, so he still has considerable room to fill out his frame.

That is an appropriate way to describe his ceiling as a basketball player too because Jones is just beginning to unearth his potential.

Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com accentuated just how much natural ability Jones has:

With transcendent athleticism, Jones has been able to get by with such a raw skill set at the high school level. That's why UNLV's coaching staff has to be thrilled to be the group that gets to mold Jones and push him to become one of the NCAA's best all-around players.

According to Jones' father, Derrick Jones Sr., the prodigious wing is putting in the work to become great, per CityOfBasketballLove.com's Ari Rosenfeld (h/t CollegeBasketballTalk.com's Terrence Payne):

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Honestly, Derrick's always had the talent to do it all. Derrick's an unselfish basketball player. Going into the summer he's adapted and said "I have to take more, I have to do more." Just working on his jump shot more, working on his handle more. I'm watching the kid everyday come home and go out back and work, go to the park and work. He's really dedicated and really wants to be at that level. I really know in my heart that he belongs.

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Jones flashes ability to choose the three-pointer, but the better he becomes at being a jump shooter and a ball-handler, the more lethal he will be off the bounce and finishing at the rim.

Adding strength should be a priority for Jones as well. If he can fill out and still maintain his amazing explosiveness, there's no telling how good he could be.

With his skill set as it stands, Jones is already a phenomenal rebounder, can bother other swingmen with his length on the perimeter and make up ground fast, with the faculties to become a tremendous shot-blocker.

Although he likely won't contribute too much as a true freshman and may take a bit longer to develop than other top-tier prospects, few from the 2015 class boast the upside Jones has.

UNLV must let Jones' minutes increase in an organic way rather than thrusting him into action, where he can just rely on his instincts as opposed to taking the time to polish his game. Should that happen, Jones is bound to be among the elite players in the country.