Texas Basketball: 4 players who could breakout in 2020-21 season

4. Kai Jones, Power Forward

An emerging fan favorite on the Forty Acres is the Wolfeboro Academy product and Nassau, Bahamas, native Kai Jones. This 6-foot-11 and 210 pound power forward showed a lot of promise at times, especially on the defensive end of the floor, during his true freshman campaign. He might be finding himself in a defensive stopper role in his second year with the Longhorns.

But an improving shooting stroke and better mobility than most standout defensive big men of his size possess means that the staff should invest into his long term development on offense. Jones has a lot of potential to become a standout two-way big man, that could even happen by his junior season.

If last season showed anything, it’s that Smart needs ample depth in the frontcourt rotation to get through the grueling grind that is the Big 12 slate. Jones became more critical to the frontcourt rotation down the stretch last season, but was thrown into the fire too early at times.

In 27 games played last season (10 of which he started in), Jones averaged 3.6 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks. He shot 50.0 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 63.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Improve his offensive arsenal next season, and Jones will become a real weapon for the Longhorns in the frontcourt rotation.