Texas Basketball: 3 most exciting players from Longhorns 2019-20 team

2. Andrew Jones, Shooting Guard

Part of the reason why third-year shooting guard and former five-star recruit Andrew Jones made this list is just how awesome his story is in recovering from his battle with leukemia as fast as he did. But the other is just how good he was at times as a true volume scoring guard that provided a much needed spark off the bench.

Smart doesn’t usually have many volume scoring guards to rely upon coming off the bench. But the Longhorns had more good fortune last season when they could get double-digit scoring from Jones, even when he wasn’t in the starting five. He really didn’t miss much of a step while he was dealing with his battle with leukemia it seemed like.

Jones was one of less than five Longhorns players that averaged double digit scoring per game. In 31 games played total in the season that was, Jones averaged 11.5 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.7 steals, while shooting 41.0 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.2 percent from the charity stripe.

All in all, Jones isn’t much of a bouncy and ultra-athletic dunker or a polarizing rim protector. But he does bring a certain inspiring story and volume scoring skill set to the table that is unmatched by really any other player in the Big 12. Smart should be letting him get an even longer leash either off the bench or in the starting five next season.