Texas Basketball: 3 players turning a corner in Big 12 play

Andrew Jones, SG/SF

Although the play of redshirt senior shooting guard/wing Andrew Jones was pretty solid throughout the season so far for the Longhorns, he’s definitely picked up the pace in the last few games. If nothing else, it looks like Jones’s two-way contributions are more impactful on the outcomes of games and he’s playing more consistently on each end of the floor in the last few outings.

The usage and minutes played per night have both dipped for Jones this season as Beard added more depth to the wing/forward rotation for the Longhorns last offseason. But the role that Jones plays for this team is just as important as it was in the last few seasons under Smart.

Jones has actually upped his efficiency while his volume stats have mostly dropped as his playing time and usage fell. He’s averaging more steals and blocks per game this season compared to last, though.

Where the impact of Jones is being felt the most of late is definitely on the defensive end. He’s averaging around three steals per 40 minutes and one block so far this season.

The block and steal numbers aren’t jumping off the page at you from Jones at the outset of Big 12 play, though. He’s playing some really efficient basketball on the offensive end while maintaining a solid defensive presence.

In the first two games of the Big 12 slate, Jones is averaging around 14 points per game, three rebounds, and three assists, while shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, and a perfect 100 percent on 10 attempts from the free-throw line.

The offensive game of Jones is almost spotless since the turn of the calendar year. This is a trend that will hopefully stick around through the rest of the month.