Jones starting to appear on NBA mock drafts

Posted Feb 2, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Feb 2, 2010 at 05:06 PM

The recent play of USF junior G Dominique Jones hasn’t gone unnoticed from the folks who spend months projecting the NBA Draft.

At NBAdraft.net, Jones is projected as the 21st overall pick by the Portland Trailblazers should he decide to leave school a year early.

At draftexpress.com, Jones is not projected to get drafted in the site’s latest 2010 mock draft. Florida State’s Solomon Alabi, also a junior, is the state’s top-ranked prospect by draftexpress, projected to go to the Rockets with the No. 16 overall pick.

At NBAdraftdepot.com, Jones is not listed in the site’s latest mock draft, posted Jan. 12. Once again, Alabi is the state’s top-ranked player, projected to go to the Jazz at No. 20 overall.

Finally, for a mainstream media outlet’s take on Jones, ESPN.com NBA draft analyst Chris Ford has Jones ranked the 77th-best pro prospect in the nation, one spot ahead of Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell.

The two players squared off Thursday, each scoring 28 in USF’s 76-74 overtime win at the Sun Dome.

Expect Jones’ status to climb the next several weeks if he continues to put up the kind of numbers he has of late. However, due to his size (6-foot-4) and the fact he’s more of a scoring guard than point guard, my guess is nbadraft.net’s current projection of No. 21 overall is as high as you’ll see in a mock draft.