Draft Sicko Confidential: Drayton Jones
Stephen sat down with Drayton Jones to discuss his journey from high school to South Carolina State to Butler!
Journey to South Carolina State
Drayton Jones is a 6’11” big man who transferred to the Butler Bulldogs this past offseason. Those in the know saw Drayton burst onto the season with the South Carolina State Bulldogs this past year—wowing many with his blend of power, athleticism, and relentless defense. As a sophomore, he led his team in points, averaging 13.0 PPG, to go along with 5.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, and 1.7 BPG. He also shot 56.4% from the floor and 69.2% from the free-throw line.
Jones is from Texas, but made his way to Oak Hill Academy, where he would really start to turn some heads as a budding big man prospect. As you could imagine, football held a special place in Drayton’s heart in his formidable years. Once it was apparent that football was only going to take him so far, Drayton sought out the advice of his dad on what he should pursue athletically.
“After I stopped playing football, I asked my dad what he played when he was growing up—and he said that he played basketball, so I’ve been playing it ever since.”
A lot of kids grow up playing multiple sports. Whether it be football, soccer, swimming, or some sort of combat sport, some skills (e.g., footwork, coordination) can be translatable and aid players in their acclimation period.
For Drayton, though, there was a lot of work that he had to put into his game to force others to take notice of him.
“Coming into basketball, I loved the game but I didn’t necessarily know how to play the game. There were a lot of struggles. It took a lot of time to work out, hone my skills, and get better. With my high school days—just like with anything—you strive for progress. You strive for improvement. With each day and with each year, I got better.
With my high school process, I’d say it was just like how it goes for any other person. I just went through improvement; I just better better day-by-day and year-by-year, you know? It all culminated to where I am now.”
Drayton’s practical approach and self-aware mentality are evident as soon as you speak to him. The way that he speaks about himself in all areas of his game is every bit as thoughtful as his approach to the game. With his steadfast dedication to improvement, it wasn’t too long before college teams would look to add this under-the-radar talent to their roster.
“Coming out of high school…at first, it was my Senior year—the summer after my Junior season—my process was pretty solid. I had a few offers from schools such as Vanderbilt, East Tennessee State University, Tulsa University, and the school I ended up choosing: South Carolina State.
As the the season wore down and progressed, you know, with how the transfer portal is, I called a few coaches. Those said coaches said “We’ll talk to you once the transfer portal process is up”. With that, that usually means that they won’t talk to you. I ended up going to South Carolina State, and I’m grateful for it.”
So many players need to have the right things happen in the right place at exactly the right time for schools to take notice of their abilities. For Drayton, he knew how talented he was—and how he could contribute to any team he played for going forward. With a handful of schools vying for his services, Drayton would only commit to a school that would help him accomplish his ultimate goal.
“I’ll be totally transparent, when coming to South Carolina State, I felt in my heart that I was an underrecruited player. Because of that, I had a chip on my shoulder. With that, I told Coach [Erik] Martin my goals and what I wanted to do with my basketball career.
I’ll never forget this. On my visit, I told Coach Martin I want to play professional basketball and to go to the NBA. He said 'You know, Drayton, I hear you. So, what I want is for you to be at my school for the next two years. For two years I will lay a great foundation for you. I’ll make sure that you have everything that you need so that, when you go to your next spot, you’ll be able to learn—you’ll be able to develop at a greater rate. Not only will you help your career, but you’ll help whatever school that you go to. You’ll be successful and win.’
So, I feel like, with Coach Martin, that was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. From day one, we already had a purpose. We had a purpose, we had a thought, and we had a goal. I personally feel we accomplished that goal to the best of both of our abilities. And we ended up doing what we set out to do.
Freshman Season: A Time to Learn
As is the case with so many players jumping from high school into college, there is a major adjustment period. In his first year under head coach Erik Martin, Drayton played in 30 games—starting 19. Playing just over 17 minutes per game, he averaged 5.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.8 APG, and 1.1 BPG. He hit only 44.7% from the floor and shot under 64% from the foul line.
Drayton does not mince words when explaining how steep his learning curve was in his first season in college hoops in terms of his development.
“My freshman year, I’d definitely have to say it was a learning curve. I had to understand that I was playing with big boys now. I was playing with guy who were my size or bigger. Who were as strong as me or stronger. Or who were as fast as me or faster.
I had to understand what it took to carve out a role, to do what I was good at, and to eliminate my weaknesses as much as possible. With the guys who were on my team my freshman year, they really helped me. They taught me how to stand my ground in practice. Once we transitioned over to the games, it was a matter of trail-and-error. I would say my freshman year was very pivotal because it showed me what success looked like. It also showed me what failure looked like. So, I’m eternally grateful for that experience.”
Primed for a Breakout
After a year of learning the tricks and trends of the college game, Drayton was more than ready to apply those lessons to the hardwood. The numbers he put up were a great testament to how much work he put in and how much his teammates helped him along. That mostly showed in the huge role he took on offensively.
Between his Freshman and Sophomore seasons, Drayton saw his Usage Rate increase by almost 8%, his Effective Field Goal Percentage jump by around 10%, and his BPM improve by almost 6! In other words, the game really slowed down for Drayton.
“When I was at [South Carolina] State, I was the focal point of the offense. If I wasn’t the focus on a given occasion, I was the secondary focus. I had to learn how to be more efficient. Within my Freshman year, I wasn’t necessarily as well-versed or intellectually sound, so within my Sophomore year, I had to learn how to get to my move quicker. I had to learn how be able to fake—how to be able to draw fouls.
I just focused on, going into my sophomore year, being more efficient and make sure every single shot got on the rim. If I get a shot on the rim, that was a way better shot with a better chance to go in than hitting straight backboard—or not even shooting at all. It was making sure shots got on the rim, making sure I got my head on the rim, finishing in the air, and finishing through my defender. That was my focus when trying to score last year.”
Drayton took a major step in his poise and composure when working on the offensive end. Part of that is doing the important “big man things”—showing soft hands, being patient, utilizing good footwork, and being efficient when operating in the paint.
“It’s ever-growing. It’s expanding day-by-day. I’m getting little nuggets, such as—if somebody has their foot high on you, you can spin baseline. If someone has their foot low, you can go straight to the middle. When going to set a screen, make sure you have your foot on the lower third, so you can force them over the top. If you force them over the top, they [the ball handler] can hit you on the short roll. When they hit you on the short roll, and someone collapses on you, you can hit the 45 cutter. You can hit the drift.
Also, with my hands, I make sure that I have soft hands. My hands are relatively big, so it’s very hard for me not to catch the basketball. So, it’s always about slowing yourself down. It’s always about making sure you’re calm, so when you get the ball you know what you’re going to do with it—not throwing as many turnovers. Be as quick and as calm and as safe with the ball as you can be to make sure that you can get to the best shot possible.”
Strong in His Game
Last season, Drayton recorded a ridiculously high Free Throw Rate of 96! Another way to break down how much he got to the line: Drayton led his team with 19 and-ones, and he had almost triple the amount of free throw attempts than anyone else on his team. Being listed at 6’11” and almost 250 pounds, Drayton gives the coaching staff at South Carolina State a lot of credit for instilling a “nothing is a foul” mentality when he is working on offense.
“I would definitely say some of my football background played a part in that. But definitely my upbringing I’ve gotten from my coaches—from my high school coaches to my most recent Head Coach, Erik Martin.
At South Carolina State, Coach Martin—he’s a tough-nosed coach. He believes in defense and he believes in playing hard. There would be weeks—sometimes months—of practice without ever hearing a whistle. So, you’d have to just play through it [contact]. Sometimes, guys would get slapped across the chest—guys would get thrown to the ground. You’d have to just keep playing. Because of that, I’d say my aggressive nature and getting to the foul line is because nothing is a foul to me.
If someone were to slap me across the head, unless the ref calls a foul, then it’s not a foul. That just comes from playing with Coach Martin—from playing in such a tough and hard and physical environment. It just molded me to just be aggressive and to be relentless.”
Pristine Protection
Beyond being a strong presence on the offensive end, Drayton had a great season defensively. He showed an uptick in his defensive rebounding, having his Defensive Rebounding Percentage jump from 16 to 17.7. He also saw his Steal Percentage go from 1.5 to 1.9, and his Block Percentage go from 6.5 to 8.1!
While his rim protection feels primal at times, Drayton speaks about his defensive approach in one of the most articulate ways you may ever hear.
“My mindset when it comes to that—in how I protect the rim—is ‘Make sure you always alter the shot’. Whether that is just taking a charge, going straight vertical to the rim, chasing down a guy, or simply surveying and tracing the ball while it’s in the air. Just trying to be as defensively sound and as efficient as possible.
Now, obviously, you’re going to have some mess-ups, here and there. But, the point is to always go with it—always try and find the next play. If you go up and they give you a blocking foul, before he gets off the ground, just go up and be solid. Be physical and vertical. If you know that the guy—if he goes up dunk it or he goes up to lay it up—if he waits until the last possible second to let it leave his hands, you have your hand meet the ball at a spot. You don’t just swipe. You make sure your hand is there before the ball gets there. That way the ball is just falling into your fingers.
It’s just a matter of—not only how my coach helped me and molded me in how to play defensively—but also how to find different ways to effect the game. If you know you’re in foul trouble, you know you can’t just jump willy-nilly. You to to stay on the ground; you got to stay stay vertical. You got to make sure that the ref can see your hands.
If you’re a little more loose in the game, you can be a little more free. You can jump, you can scramble, you can dive on the floor. You can do all of these things make sure the game a little more chaotic defensively. That way the offense can’t be comfortable in their rhythm and in their scheme. You can impact the game.”
Breaking Down the Game
One of the most fascinating topics that Drayton can wax poetic about is his experience studying film. He is very much a student of the game and, in the spirit of self-awareness, is very critical of himself. With that, Drayton finds that film study is most valuable when he can dissect what he is seeing with his coaches.
“The way I approach film study is, I know that in my limited experience, I’m not necessarily the ‘guru’ of basketball. Because of that, I make sure to ask my coaches. I love film study the most when I’m with coaches, because—with me, by myself—I’m so hard on myself that it’s hard for me to look at film without being on one clip for an hour, just looking at and nit-picking every single thing. So, when I go with certain coaches, they show me certain things—concepts, schemes, and tendencies that other players have.
Once we go into the game, or into the practice, I try to keep what ever that thing a player is doing in my mind. And to keep whatever I’m doing in the front of my mind. If I notice that every single time someone looks at the rim, that I jump out of the gym, and they get an easy layup, I make sure that once we get to practice, instead of jumping, I stay solid. I wait for the ball to go up. Once the ball goes up, then that’s when I try to effect the shot.
It’s a mixture of just trying to make sure that everything I do, that’s not just the same as it was before. When someone is scouting me defensively, that I’m not always looking to do the same thing twice. And, also, just picking the brains of my coaches, since they’re the coaches for a reason. Just using their advice to make sure that what I am doing on the court is the best as it possibly can be.”
It’s one thing to be able to see areas of his game—or what tendencies his opponents have. It’s another thing entirely to be able to apply those concepts to the court. Drayton processes the film well and is able to put principles into practice. Of course, learning those principles helps to improve his game, but it’s also given him time on the floor and off the bench.
“100 percent—I feel like I can do that [apply film study to live games]. Especially because I’ve played for so many coaches that have all expected so many different things from me. In my experience with college and high school, you have to do that.
If you don’t, you’re just going to stay on that bench. I’ve learned that you have to be a quick learner. If you don’t necessarily understand it right away, it’s never illegal to ask questions. That’s not against the law. I just make sure to ask as many questions as possible to where coach has to tell me to stop asking questions.”
Next Steps to His Dream
Despite another year of the transfer portal existing, the conversation of its existence is still quite polarizing. When conversing with players, it’s easy to understand why the portal is more of a benefit as opposed to a detractor—especially for players like Drayton. In their cases, the portal literally changes lives.
As far as the transfer portal goes, it is a major blessing. Not everyone has my story but, being an underrecruited kid, you didn’t necessarily get those 40 or 50 phone calls every couple of hours. I didn’t get that out of high school. So, for me, it was a blessing. To see all of the work and all of the sacrifices come to fruition.
Now that I’m here at Butler, I’m happy to prove my worth—to make sure that I’m a mainstay. To help win some basketball games and, potentially, make some noise in April.”
Following his breakout season with the South Carolina State Bulldogs, Drayton would throw his name into the transfer portal. After some deliberation, he would decide to commit to play for Butler University. The decision to play for Thad Matta was relatively easy for Drayton, as it checked a lot of boxes for him.
“First, it’s in the Big East. That’s a huge thing. The Big East has been, if not the, one of the most successful conferences this century. That’s a no-brainer.
Being that now I’m in an NBA city, and that I have access to, possibly, training with NBA guys. Even playing with NBA guys in the future—being able to have connections to where, if I went to another school, I may not have those same opportunities.
Then, there’s the coaching staff. With Coach Matta, he was at Ohio State. He had guys such as Greg Oden, who was one of the best college bigs within the 21st Century. Coach Matta has accomplished almost everything you can in college basketball, except bringing home that trophy. That’s something that I definitely have my sights set on. I want to help him accomplish that goal to the best of my abilities.”
Soon after his commitment to the team, Drayton traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana. After starting in Texas, then Virginia, and then South Carolina, Drayton had to quickly integrate himself into the scheme for his new coaching staff and his new teammates. Drayton’s transition from high school to South Carolina State took some time to get used to. So far, the challenge of practicing against Big East competition on a daily basis has gone fairly well.
“Everything has been smooth. Obviously, at first, it was just different. You’re seeing different archetypes of players than you would see on a regular basis. But, the physicality, the speed—we’re all basketball players, so I just treat it that way. No one is better than anybody else. We all got to earn our stripes. We all have to show what we’re made of. So I’m just going in everyday to prove myself and be the hardest worker on the floor.
I love learning about different people whenever I’m put into a new situation—whether that be teammates, classmates. It feels good when I’m in a different situation to learn different backgrounds—how different people like to play. How people like to operate outside of basketball. It’s gone very well meshing with my teammates. I feel like we’re going to have a very good team, especially with our chemistry this year.
All of us are here for a reason, and all of us are here to make the team better. Everyone here has such great talent.”
One of the areas of his game that will likely require some refinement in this leveling up in competition is Drayton’s offense. Of course, he is aware of this. Not only is he aware, but he has already begun to identify exactly what needs that refinement. And how to make it happen.
“I’m working on being more efficient with my post touches. Being able to, when I catch the ball, not simply pounding the rock with my back to the basketball. Being able to face up—face up and shoot a little 10 to 15 foot jumper. Or facing up, jabbing, and going baseline. Being able to maneuver and get a tough shot, or a shot off of the glass. Just being more efficient within the post up game—not just being a back-to-the-basket player, but also a faceup player.
Also, being an elite screener. Being able to pass out of the short roll. Just being more versatile offensively.
I definitely want to be able to, when I’m on offense, not be a ‘black hole’ or not be a ‘cinderblock’. Being able to operate DHOs, with rejections and handoffs. Screening and re-screening. Off-ball screening and cutting to the rim. Just being as versatile as possible wherever I am on the floor.”
Those areas all sound good, but the one question big men have to answer in the modern game is: “Can you shoot?”
Drayton isn’t ruling it out, but it all comes down to prioritization.
“Definitely conversations but, at the moment, I’m not going out and away to do that. I’m just working on what I am good at now, and then in the near future, we may see that come to fruition.”
While the offense is something many are curious to see how it translates, it’s Drayton’s defense that has many excited. He’s excited about defending in the Big East, too.
“It’s not necessarily just like [South Carolina] State, but I’ve noticed since I’ve got here, that we’re playing the way that I like to play defensively. And that’s chaotic. It’s flying around. It’s having as much fun as possible—scrambling, high-hand closeouts, helping the helper, X-ing out, helping the drive, and the pass, and the next pass.
The big thing that they want me to do is, obviously, protect the rim. But, with my ability to slide my feet and extending my athleticism, the expectation for me is—whenever I’m switched out on a guard—that I’m not just a cone. That I’m not easy work. I’m going to stand my ground and hold the switch for, maybe, 5, 10 [seconds], or maybe the whole possession. That’s been a big thing within practice and that’s something that I’m loving. As the summer goes, and the season goes, we’re obviously going to get better with that.”
Insight Into the Man
Breaking away from his background, his development, and how he processes the game, Drayton’s mind and self-awareness may exceed all of those things.
“None of us are perfect—especially with hoops. You’ve [speaking to me interviewing him] been around the game long enough to know that there are late bloomers and early risers. I know what I am. I know I’m not the best that I am going to be. I know that there is still room for me to grow—there’s room that I am going to grow. So this [my mentality] just comes from constant years or reps and repetitions of what works and what doesn’t work.
I’m just self-aware because you have to realize —you have to understand what you are good at, improve what you’re bad at, and just keep going-and-going. That’s all this is.”
But, where does this mindset come from? Many have to be taught how to become more self-aware—how to be more thoughtful and intentional. Drayton gives the credit for his mindfulness to his faith and his family.
“It [my mindset] comes from, first of all, my belief in God. My belief in God has leveled me. It has propelled me to learn what humility is, and to learn how to be present and aware of everything. Secondly, it comes from my upbringing. My past.
My father was a pastor, and my mom, she worked in public service. So I just learned how to be humble—I had to exude humility and exude respect. I always treat every single challenge—whether it’s basketball, friends, school—I always attack with with a thought process of becoming better. And just staying the course.
One things that’s helped my with basketball—outside the four lines—is my family. Being that I came from a background where church was important, I’ve always been led to do the right thing—even when the right thing doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. Even when it’s a struggle to see things the other way around, I’m always trying to follow my gut.
There’s a saying that someone once told me: If you do right, right will follow. So, I’ve always had that approach.”