The Golden State Warriors have selected Vanderbilt big man Damian Jones with the 30th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft. Jones, a 7'0, 245-pound center, averaged 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during his junior season last year. He also shot an SEC-leading 56.2 percent from the field.
NBA draft 2016: Warriors select Damian Jones with 30th pick
The Warriors took the Vanderbilt big man with the final pick of the first round.
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Jones a former top-100 recruit, is blessed with NBA size, which no doubt is what the Warriors found intriguing about him. He’s got a center’s build along with a 7’3 wingspan. He’s also a relatively mobile and explosive athlete and shouldn’t face the same growing pains that many college big men do upon entering the NBA. His game-tying, buzzer-beating dunk against Arkansas last season was a perfect example.
Here's how Vanderbilt's Damian Jones forced OT against Arkansas: https://t.co/wQAVXfoych
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) January 6, 2016
Jones, a native of Baton Rouge, La., score the majority of his points around the rim last season. That said, he did show flashes of a competent post game, but is still raw in that area. He also needs to improve his free-throw shooting -- he connected on just 52 percent of his attempts last season.
The biggest questions about Jones come on the defensive end of the floor. It’s worrisome that he failed to pull down even seven rebounds per game last year, despite almost always being the biggest and strongest player on the floor. Some league executives and scouts have reportedly had questions about his motor.
Jones did help lead Vanderbilt to the NCAA Tournament last season, but they fell in the first round to Wichita State.
The Warriors bring in the big man after struggling to handle Tristan Thompson in the NBA Finals -- especially once Andrew Bogut left the series with a knee injury. With Jones, they’ll have another big to bring off the bench when the Death Lineup isn’t working.
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