Texas Basketball: 3 players struggling mightily against top competition
Andrew Jones, SG/SF
Few players for the Longhorns so far this season have a more stark contrast in their numbers while facing ranked competition compared to unranked teams than the redshirt senior shooting guard/wing Andrew Jones.
Purely among guards/wings for the Longhorns through eight games this season, Jones ranks in the top three on the team in true shooting percentage (60.8), win shares per 40 minutes (.218), player efficiency rating (20.8), and box plus/minus (9.1).
But when Jones faces ranked competition this season, it does really start to come off the rails in certain areas. He also tends to just almost go invisible against ranked competition thus far. In the two losses for the Longhorns so far this season, Jones averaged just 3.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, one assist, no steals, and 0.5 blocks. And he’s shot just 28.6 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc.
In the six wins for Texas thus far, Jones averaged around 11 points per game, three rebounds, three assists, three steals, and 0.5 blocks. And he’s shot around 49 percent from the field, 42 percent from beyond the arc, and is perfect from the free-throw line.
Granted, it is impressive that Jones hasn’t missed a single attempt from the charity stripe through eight games this season.
In the loss to Seton Hall, a usually stout defensive player in Jones was lacking in terms of his play on and off-ball. Jones was caught sleeping off-ball a few times against Seton Hall, and he didn’t register a single steal or block.
He also wasn’t very effective on defense in the loss to Gonzaga last month.
Jones is taking too many tough shots that are contested (especially from beyond the arc). And he’s just making some head-scratching plays leading to untimely turnovers on offense. Jones has three turnovers and just two assists in the losses against ranked competition so far.
There is a path forward for Jones against top competition, though. Start with better shot selection, and then slow the game down around him when the ball is in his hands. It feels like only a matter of time before Jones gets going against better competition. He’s an experienced and talented two-way wing, and he’ll prove that before too long.