LA Clippers: 3 guards worth buying into the second round for

LA Clippers Prospect #2 – Tre Jones (Duke)

Full disclosure: I’m a Duke fan. There’s definitely some bias here in wanting the team to take Tre Jones.

But hear me out. The Clippers are looking for another playmaker for their team, right? Tre Jones could come in and be that for the second unit. Projected to go in the mid to late 30’s in the draft, the Clips would have to pay a pretty penny to buy the rights to draft him. If there’s one thing we know about Duke players, it’s that they are well-coached and understand the game. Tre Jones is a perfect example of that.

In order to take bias out, here’s how The Ringer breaks him down:

"Floor general with an unselfish, team-first playing style and an impactful defender."

Sounds pretty specific to the Clippers’ needs, right? Tre does have some noticeable downside, mainly his inability to score. He shot just 43% at the rim and from three, it’s not much better. In two seasons at Duke, he shot just 31.3% from deep on 3.2 attempts per game. If he’s going to be an impactful playmaker in the NBA, one of those two stats has to improve or teams can sag off of him which would also eliminate his ability to playmake.

At 6’3″ and 185 lbs, Jones has decent size for a point guard and shouldn’t have too much trouble if he switches on to a slightly bigger two guard. He is a smart defender and would fit in well with the defensive rotation of the Clippers and could even improve his already great ability. His brother, Tyus Jones, has found a role as a backup point guard in the league, and Tre (who is bigger) can find a similar role.

Jones might be a redundant pick with Terance Mann on the Clippers roster but if the chance presents itself, the team should definitely give him consideration.