F: Lajae Jones (JR)
Height/Weight: 6’7”/220 lbs.
Previous School: St. Bonaventure
2024-25 Stats: 10.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.8 BPG, 1.5 SPG, 38.9% 3pt
Offensive Impact
Jones creates most of his offensive value as a floor spacer. 84th percentile in catch and shoot efficiency last season at St. Bonaventure.
Thrives as a corner 3pt shooter. 46% from this area on nearly 2 attempts per game. His shooting prowess from the corner will open up the lane for drivers like McCray and Somerville and will help space the floor in transition.
Jones isn’t much of a movement shooter, capping his upside within this offense. Has a fairly quick release off the catch but needs his feet to be set in order to create perimeter value. Plays will not be drawn up for Jones very often.
Has the ability to score off the bounce in the mid range but isn’t very efficient. His dribble creation will mostly come late in the shot clock or if an offensive set breaks down. 31st percentile in dribble jumper efficiency.
Jones can also provide some value in the transition game, which is an important factor to the FSU offense. 72nd percentile in transition frequency and 70th percentile in efficiency last season for Jones.
Runs down the floor hard off missed shots and turnovers. Isn’t a super athletic wing, but offsets this with his effort.
Above average handler for a hybrid 3-4 man. This will help FSU get into their transition game quicker off rebounds.
Doesn’t provide a ton of value on the interior, but it is an aspect of his game he could use more frequently. 54th percentile in rim scoring efficiency on lowish volume.
Shows flashes of being an above average vertical athlete but plays below the rim a lot of the time. Leaves some makeable interior shots on the table because of this.
Would also like to see him get to the free throw line more. Has the size to fight through contact but opts to avoid it and take a more acrobatic layup, lowering his overall efficiency.
Attacks closeouts fairly well and has a decent first step for his position.
A 4.8% OREB rate isn’t very encouraging, but this number could rise with a scheme change. 6-7% is feasible.
Jones won’t be an eye-popping offensive piece for the Seminoles next season, but he is a floor spacing/connector piece that every offense likes having. He will be a low usage (16% usage last season), corner 3pt shooter that can put the ball on the deck to attack closeouts, along with being a threat in transition.
There is also room for his overall offensive game to grow, as he will be entering just his 2nd full season of Division 1 hoops. Has shown flashes in many areas but hasn’t completely put it together yet. Maybe next year is the breakout.
Defensive Impact
Sort of a jack of all trades on the defensive end. Jones doesn’t have a necessarily elite trait, but there is no real weakness to identify.
Better lateral mover than linear. The combo of size and lateral quickness allows him to defend 1-4 with competency.
Jones won’t be a lockdown defender that you can throw on the opposing team’s best player for 40 minutes, but he provides a more than positive defensive value from a versatility standpoint.
Holds his own against size on the interior and moves his feet well enough to contain smaller guards. Awesome system fit for a heavy switching defensive scheme.
16% DREB rate, 3.5% block rate, and 2.8% steal rate further show how he impacts the game on the defensive end. Anticipates well and is almost always in the right spot.
The high block and steal rates are partly scheme driven but still plus qualities in Jones’ game.
The concern with Jones on the defensive end would be from his lack of athleticism and wingspan, as both of these areas aren’t the most impressive. It is fair to say his impact could become lesser when jumping up to the ACC. With that being said, his knack for being in the right spot at the right time and bringing high level versatility will be his ticket to success at FSU.