2010 NBA Draft: A Final Look at Dominique Jones

Dominique Jones was a versatile player for South Florida last season. He averaged 21.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists a game. He carried the Bulls to a NIT berth, after Augustus Gilchrist went down for the majority of the season with an ankle injury.

Jones has been criticized as being an undersized combo guard with no real position in the NBA. His ball handling and athleticism have also come into question during scouts’ observations. Despite these negatives, Jones positives and potential continue to outweigh them.

At 6’4’’ and 216 pounds, Jones already has an NBA-ready body. He’s taken the abuse of the Big East for several seasons, and has excelled during that time. His 8’5’’ in reach make him an excellent pickpocket and rebounder.

Jones was expected to carry USF last season, and had the ball in his hands and extraordinary amount of time. This led to a higher number of turnovers, something Jones needs to work on but can easily fix at the next level.

Jones jump shot has continued to come around, but it’s his slashing ability that makes him so dangerous on offense. His mid-range jumper has become potent and he’s improved his perimeter game. He shot 31.1 percent from beyond the arc last season for the Bulls.

Jones has an elite first step and tremendous speed driving to the hole. He is a natural scorer and is very coachable, picking up new offensive schemes quickly. This ability to pick up new offenses gives him the ability to play the point as well.

Jones will do well going to a team with an already established post presence and point guard combo. Being a scoring guard is where he’ll be the most comfortable and teams will be able to utilize his strengths the most.

Current projections put Jones as a late first round or early second round pick. He has gone to workouts with over 20 teams so far, proving he’s got more than a few eyes on him. Memphis is looking at him as a potential point guard, while Boston sees him as a possibly Eddie House/Nate Robinson type of player for them.

Wherever Jones ends up, he’ll be ready to contribute starting on Day One, something many of the players in the late first round can't say.

Several scouts see Jones as the possible “Biggest Steal” in this year’s draft, something I’m sure every Bulls fan would be happy to see.