NBA Draft: How Kai Jones will impact the Charlotte Hornets

Kai Jones brings elite athleticism and a unique skill set to the offensive end of the court.

The best way to utilize Jones’ talent is by letting him play at the center position. Due to his lack of strength, he will need time to be a full-time center in the league and because of that, he is going to be used as a sort of small ball five during his rookie year and probably against bench units.

He is listed at 6’11, 221 pounds, and likely will need to put on some muscle to handle NBA competition in the paint. NBA strength programs are made for these types of challenges. This is one of the reasons why it is pretty safe to say that Jones will not play a big role during next season.

In addition to his strength, Jones will also have to work on both his skill level and decision-making. During his two seasons with the Longhorns, Jones showed his confidence to shoot the ball from distance, shooting 1.3 attempts per game and on 38%. His shooting mechanics look solid for a player of his size but his footwork needs improvement to be a respectable three-point shooter and to fully unlock his offensive versatility.

Texas played a modern style of basketball with four players out on the perimeter and Jericho Sims as the other non-shooting big. Because of this, Jones built a good attitude at playing the drive and kick game smartly and proactively. His handle is pretty tight considering he is almost 7 feet tall and he also has good vision when he can’t find the basket himself. This skill cannot be underestimated because the drive and kick is the foundation of Charlotte’s offensive system. Borrego spent the last two seasons building a scheme that relies on all the player’s ability to drive the ball towards the basket to find the best shot available during the 24 seconds possession.

The next clip is an impressive showcase of his skillset, as soon as Jones takes the ball in his hands he starts the driving motion and when he reaches the basket he dumps the pass instead of taking a contested layup.

The other tremendous point of fit between the Hornets and Jones is related to his incredible athletic dimension. He was probably the most athletic big in the draft and he proved that during his collegiate career. This aspect of his game is going to be really useful in the Hornets system thanks to LaMelo Ball’s ability to find the open man at a high rate.

Jones is ideally the perfect partner for Ball during pick and roll situations because of his frame as a screener and his explosiveness when attacking the rim. His screen game is still not that refined and he needs to improve as a screener but with more playing time as a center, he should get better.

Athletic ability will also help him during transition situations as he can cover the full court with ease. The Hornets finally started running the court last year thanks to Ball’s ability to push the pace with his vision, exploiting Jones this way will help with his adaption to the NBA.

He gets a little bit too comfortable when he’s got. the ball in his hand on the perimeter. Too often he fell in love with this playstyle and didn’t utilize his big man abilities. Limiting his role here is needed to define his playstyle for future development.