Joe Jones III - The NYBL is Keeping up with the Jones'

Right now in America the style of today’s game benefits wings who can shoot, slash, and score.  Many may think that the Bigman as a primary offensive force has gone away with the dinosaur. It’s no longer typical for teams to go inside/out anymore. Joe Jones III a relic of a simpler, truer form of basketball and coincidentally is related to another Bigman who played the game in a very old fashion style – former Ohio State star, first player drafted, and current Miami Heat center Greg Oden; we can see the similarities already.

Jones, who already has excellent size for a post is simply a beast in the low post. Once he gets the ball in the blocks, he uses his tremendous strength to overpower defenders. He also has a nice set of low post moves and a solid mid range jumper, which gives him one of the more complete offensive packages for a big man in this class. Jones III is also a strong rebounder who uses his power and size to his advantage on both the offensive and defensive glass. He put up ridiculous numbers the last two sessions with multiple 25+ point efforts at the same time averaging double figure rebounds and an assortment of blacks.  Joe is not your average Joe – but he is far from a high jumping specialist; he isn’t the most athletic player but he knows how to use his body to gain position and finish, a Kendrick Perkins type of athlete.  He runs the floor and carves out the location that he wants and goes to work.  There may be more glamorous players in the NYBL who get more press and hype but we assure you that every time Jones continually proves that he can more than hold his own against elite competition.  Men lie, woman lie – but numbers don’t lie.

If you had to compare the 6’8 monster from the class of 2019 to another player he compares favorably to Al Jefferson another big who gets the job done without a lot of flash and pizazz. His quiet demeanor would have one think that he is not engaged, but Jones III is involved every possession on both ends; setting screens, fighting position when he doesn’t have the ball and going to get it off the glass when post feeds don’t occur.  Defensively, again he doesn’t jump out the gym but with a high level IQ he uses his position to block an above average number of shots and changes many others.  You watch and it seems as if he isn’t there until you check the score book at the end of the game and see another double-double in the books and disappointed opponent whose FG% was reduced along with their win totals.

Playing for Upstate Elite out of upstate New York state the NYBL has went deep into the upper northeast for this find again proving that the league attracts talent from every crack corner and crevis of the country – in this case another players who is tops in the country and already translates two levels up as a 7^th grade prospect.  Inevitable you will hear this name again, maybe in the same breath as his 7-foot big NBA playing brother.