2025 NBA Draft scouting report: Kam Jones, G, Marquette

Summary: Jones offers crafty combo guard skills with advanced shot creation and a blossoming playmaking feel. But his so-so athleticism and streaky shooting paint him as just a cog rather than the rare star upperclassmen set to enter the league.

Comparisons: Donte DiVincenzo

Strengths

Shot creation: Moves like a veteran NBA scorer, splitting traps in the pick-and-roll, finishing with euro-steps, and dribbling into side-step 3s. He’s a nifty ball-handler who uses crossovers, spins, around-the-back dribble moves, and a deep bag to generate shots all over the court.

Playmaking: Scoring is his calling card, but he’s selfless. As a junior, Jones had a 2.1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in games point guard Tyler Kolek missed. Then as a senior, he proved he could run the point full time, posting a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio while showing good feel finding his center on rolls to the rim, and pace while navigating screens to seek out cutters and shooters.

At-rim finishing: Savvy at-rim finisher who can use either hand, though he usually finishes with his dominant left. Sometimes he can turn his back to defenders to get into a hook shot. He also boasts a soft floater.

Spot-up shooting: Synergy data says Jones made 38.1% of spot-up 3s in his four college seasons combined. He displayed deep range and the skills to shoot off screens and handoffs. And since he’s a talented ball-handler, he can attack off those closeouts to make plays off the dribble.

Defense: Good defender who moves his feet, has a strong frame, and loves to apply pressure on opposing ball-handlers. He defends like he has a hunger for getting stops in the same way he seeks out points on offense.

Concerns

Athleticism: He’s a good athlete, but not a great one. He doesn’t have an explosive first step, or vertical leaping ability at the rim. He rarely dunks and, even at the college level, he’s very reliant on his jumper.

Free throw shooting: Jones made only 67.1% of his free throws in four college seasons, and free throw shooting is historically a better predictor for future 3-point shooting success than college 3-point percentage. Could his lack of success at the line be a bad sign? Or perhaps, there’s a subtle mechanical flaw that the right coach can solve to have his free-throw numbers improve to match his seemingly good touch as a spot-up shooter, and on both floaters and layups.

Shooting off the dribble: Jones made 36.7% of his dribble-jumper 3s entering his senior season, which is quite a strong number. But as a senior, he made only 20% of his 70 attempts, per Synergy. Considering his shaky results from the line, and his good but not elite numbers in spot-ups, it at least raises questions about his true ability as a shooter.