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NBA mock draft: Dillon Jones with Dame? Two projections send Weber State star to Milwaukee

By BRETT HEIN - Standard-Examiner | Mar 25, 2024

Paul Grua, WSU Athletics

Weber State's Dillon Jones (2) drives past Montana State's John Olmsted (15) on Monday, March 4, 2024, in Bozeman, Mont.

Weber State’s Dillon Jones returned to school for one more season after turning heads at last year’s G League and NBA combines, entered WSU’s top five in points, rebounds, assists, steals and free throws — and now it’s officially draft season for the WSU basketball great.

What he put on the record: Jones became the first Division I men’s player in at least the last 31 years to total at least 600 points, 300 rebounds, 160 assists and 60 steals in one season, according to Sports Reference.

With the combine about six weeks away and the NCAA Tournament still in progress, there’s plenty of time for changes in how players are scouted; Damian Lillard, for example, went from sure first-round prospect to bonafide lottery pick with his performance at the Chicago combine and other team-by-team workouts.

But for now, draft prognostications are heating up.

Two writers put Jones with fellow Weber State great Damian Lillard in Milwaukee.

The highest position comes from Yahoo’s Krysten Peek, who saw Jones play in person at least four times this season. With Jones firmly in the first round at No. 24, Peek wrote in her most recent mock draft: “He’s more athletic than what meets the eye and has a high IQ that will undoubtedly shine through once teams bring him in during the pre-draft process.”

Monday, Jonathan Givony of ESPN and Draft Express fame also sent Jones to the Bucks in his updated mock draft, coming early in the second round at No. 35.

Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer is also high on Jones at N0. 24, which at the time of his writing was projected to go to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Jones proved a lot this year, putting himself in the first-round conversation as a big-bodied playmaker,” he writes, saying he makes sense for the Cavs if they have to split up Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

O’Connor’s quick-glance snapshot of Jones is “bully-ball point guard with an unorthodox style of play given his size,” and identifies his top strengths/traits as clutch gene, tank, float game and rebounding.

At Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman dropped Jones from 25 to 31, the first pick of the second round going to the Utah Jazz.

“He has scouts divided on his historic production and unusual fit/position for the NBA,” Wasserman writes. “There figures to be one team willing to take a chance earlier than others. At 6’6″, 235 pounds, his ball-handling, live-dribble passing, finishing, improving touch and capable shot ultimately create tempting versatility.”

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