Indiana Pacers 2021 Draft Profile: Texas big man Kai Jones

The Indiana Pacers held their third pre-draft workout on Tuesday with two big-name prospects. One of the players invited was Texas big man Kai Jones.

The Indiana Pacers held their third pre-draft workout on Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. One of the prospects invited to the workout was Texas big man Kai Jones. Could the Pacers look to take another Texas big man in the lottery once more with the 13th pick?

Kai Jones is a Bahamian center that played two seasons at the University of Texas-Austin. The 6-10 Jones had a stellar 2020-2021 season for the Longhorns. He showed major improvement over his freshman season and won the Big 12 6th Man of the Year. Jones averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and posted a 62.6 effective field goal percentage.

The eye-popping aspect of Kai Jones’ game would have to be his ability to be a force in transition. Jones is a great athlete with a track background which allows him to explode up and down the floor. He combines running the floor with ease and a knack for finishing at the rim. Jones’ ability to move in transition like this gives him a high two-way upside moving forward.

Jones is also equipped with a very fluid jump shot for a modern big. He shot 38 percent from deep this past season at Texas even though it was only on 1.3 attempts per game. Jones did only shoot 69 percent from the free-throw line which is a better metric to see how someone will transition to shooting in the NBA.

This could worry some NBA about his shot going forward, but the mechanics of his shot are fluid. If Jones can hone in his three-point shot he could develop as a floor spacer as well which is what you want in your modern big.

Jones’ athleticism makes him a potentially versatile big on defense. He has good mobility for a big, which allows him to stay with smaller, quicker players. It’s pretty easy seeing Jones develop into a center that could switch onto any player 1-5.

Kai Jones only averaged .9 blocks per game in his sophomore year at Texas. He is a really raw rim protector at this stage of his development. Due to his athleticism, however, he has the potential to turn himself into an elite shot blocker. Developing his shot-blocking ability should be high up on Jones’ list of skills to develop if he wants to reach his full potential.

Jones is also very raw in a lot of other aspects of the game as well. Jones has only been playing basketball since he was fifteen years old. He is still learning the game and it can show at times on both sides of the basketball with decision making and positioning.

Kai Jones is a very interesting prospect with a very high upside. He has all the physical tools and shooting potential you want in drafting a modern big in the NBA. It may be a year or two before Jones really makes an impact with the team he is drafted by since he does need time to develop. If Jones hit his potential he could be one of the best bigs that come out of this draft.

Do I see the Pacers taking him at the 13th pick if he is there? Most likely not since the Pacers already have an excess of bigs on the roster. Things can easily change between now and draft time but I know whoever drafts Kai Jones is getting a high upside player.