Kam Jones is Playing Like a Star

Kam Jones has always been a good scorer, but the Marquette senior's leap as an offensive engine is making him one of the more versatile and polished guards in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Making the leap from a microwave scorer to an offensive engine is incredibly difficult. Too frequently, we try to extrapolate role player minutes to a bigger role to construct an image of what a player could be. In reality, that transition from being a role player to a high-usage star is much rarer and more difficult than we want to admit. Luckily for us, Kam Jones doesn’t give a damn about norms, as he has emerged as a superstar for Marquette and one of the most intriguing upperclassmen in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Last season, Jones had a fantastic season as he started all 36 games he played in while averaging 28.9 minutes, 17.2 points on 50/41/72 shooting splits, 2.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Jones’s season garnered some intrigue around the 2024 NBA Draft, but ultimately there were concerns about his size, ability to run an offense, and what position he actually was. So, he came back to Marquette to run the show sans Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro.

It hasn’t taken long for Jones to quell any concerns about his ability to run the show without Kolek or Ighodaro. This season, Jones is averaging 31.8 minutes, 20.3 points, shooting splits of 59/42/71, 6.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. Jones’s numbers are up across the board, and he is proving that he can get his own bucket, create for others, and run one hell of an offense.

One of the staples of Jones’s game has always been his scoring efficiency. While he has steadily improved year over year, his worst seasons were still considered above average. For multiple years we saw Jones effortlessly utilized as a high-volume shooter and off-ball scorer. He thrived in that role, but we never saw him consistently create for others as that responsibility fell on Kolek’s shoulders. This year is the first time we’ve seen him thrust into a pure point guard role.

The biggest change that we’ve seen in Jones’s game has been the playmaking. As we can see below, Jones has always been an efficient playmaker who rarely turned it over, but this year is an entirely different story. What’s really fascinating is that Jones’s usage rate only jumped from 25.4 last season to 26.7 this season. Even though his usage is nearly identical, we can clearly see that he’s being deployed in an entirely different way—his assist rate has skyrocketed to an absurd 41.9, and his turnover rate has somehow dropped to just 9.3. If those numbers are maintained, he would be the first player in Bart Torvik’s database to have an assist rate over 40 and a turnover rate under 10.

Things continue to get even more interesting when we look at Synergy’s numbers. Last season, Jones created 1.306 PPP (90th percentile) overall including assists, and 1.03 PPP (85th percentile) in the pick-and-roll including passes. This season, those numbers are 1.633 (99th percentile) and 1.103 (85th percentile), respectively. There is clearly some growth, but not enough to suggest that this aspect of Jones’ game wasn’t always there. The biggest change, though, has been the sheer volume of pick-and-roll possessions for Jones and his effectiveness in those possessions.

Per Synergy, Jones’s most common scoring play type was as the pick-and-roll ball-handler at 28.4% of his possessions and 43.5% when you include his passes out of the pick-and-roll. This season, those frequency numbers have leaped to 42.4% and 67.2%. Additionally, his turnover rate overall when running the pick-and-roll has dropped from 12.4% to 7.1%. Simply put, Jones is running one of the most efficient and effective two-man games in the country at an absurdly high volume.

As we can see, Jones can create out of the pick-and-roll in myriad ways, but his go-to move is the over-the-head-kick-back assist to a pick-and-pop big. When we think of Jones translating to the NBA, we know that he already has a go to move that he’s perfected that will fit perfectly with plenty of teams. The tricky part is: what happens when teams start showing different looks that make the kick back more difficult?

Luckily for us, Jones abused Wisconsin with this two-man game and started to mix up their coverages. Their first attempt was below, where they tried to just play it straight up without switching, showing, or hedging. Jones simply used his size, speed, and handle to turn the corner on his defender and finish with an easy layup.

Well, that didn’t work. What about switching? This time, Jones uses a hang dribble to freeze the switch defender for a second before launching into a step-back three. The defender does a good job, but Jones is so quick and fluid with his shot that the defender can only contest… and foul. His frustration is understandable.

Essentially any number, including his 4.92 AST/TO ratio, you look at with Jones’s playmaking is incredibly impressive. There is one concern, though, which is that there isn’t much diversity to his playmaking in the half-court. Both this season and last season, Jones ranked in just the first percentile in frequency of isolation possessions including passes. The vast majority of his assists come not only out of the pick-and-roll but are mostly isolated to just the two-man game. He doesn’t consistently manipulate and dissect the weak side like most elite playmakers.

As we can see below, Jones can occasionally use his scoring gravity to attack a closeout or capitalize on a mismatch. In transition, he’s much better at looking off defenders and manipulating rotating defenders, but in the halfcourt, those examples are less prevalent.

Thankfully, the NBA runs more than enough pick-and-roll. If Jones gets paired with a versatile screener, they’ll likely put up incredibly impressive numbers. However, unless there is another playmaking leap coming in Jones’ game, which there certainly could be, there is likely a cap on what type of creator he will be.

The label of “combo guard” can be a tricky one. Typically, it’s used as just an easy way to label undersized shooting guards or bigger point guards who can’t really shoot. The problem is that they rarely have the combination of playmaking and scoring to properly fill the combo guard role. When they do, though, they can be incredibly valuable players. That unique intersection of uber-efficient scoring and passing is precisely where Jones is currently falling.

So far this season, Jones ranks in the 96th percentile scoring in the pick-and-roll, 62nd percentile spotting up, 97th percentile in transition, 78th percentile on handoffs, 89th percentile on all jumpers, 95th percentile shooting off the catch, 56th percentile shooting off the dribble, and 85th percentile at the rim. Now, I know his spot-up and pull-up shooting numbers could be better. Well, last season, he ranked in the 87th percentile spotting up and 97th percentile shooting off the dribble. I’m willing to cut him some slack, given his new role this season.

The importance of these numbers is to show the versatility of Jones’ all-around offense. Obviously, being an incredibly efficient scorer is important, which Jones has been for multiple years. When that history of scoring versatility and efficiency is paired with his playmaking as well, it makes the rare transition to being a legitimate combo guard all the more feasible.

The problem with most players of Jones’s size who are purely below-the-rim finishers is that they struggle around the rim. They become a one-dimensional scorer who can’t properly imbalance a defense. Not only does Jones rank in the 85th percentile at the rim in PPP but also in the 64th percentile in frequency, with 53.9% of his shots coming at the rim. So far, he’s shooting a ridiculous 71.1% at the rim. Surely those numbers are inflated due to transition, though, right?

Well, when we look at just his shot attempts in the halfcourt, the numbers do in fact drop. In the halfcourt, only 53.6% of his shots come at the rim, and he’s shooting just 68.7%. Please pick up on the sarcasm, because those numbers are bonkers for a below-the-rim finisher who doesn’t have an overly explosive first step. Jones makes up for his physical limitations with a shifty handle, great tempo control, good strength, and unique finishing angles and touch. Few players are as creative, consistent, and effective around the rim as Jones is.

Whether it’s playmaking or scoring, Jones has an NBA-esque approach to his offense. He knows who he is as a player, and the game is incredibly slow for him. The playmaking numbers point to his sound decision-making, but we can see it in his shot selection as well. Jones likely won’t be a superstar in the NBA, which means that the midrange game won’t be much of his arsenal. This year, Jones has only taken one jumper inside the arc. Instead of settling for midrange pull-ups, Jones either makes a pass, gets all the way to the rim, or knocks down a floater, which he ranks in the 78th percentile for PPP. Jones’s offensive versatility, feel, and decision-making should allow him to play nearly any backcourt role at the next level.

Even when we look at the defensive side of the ball, Jones has improved on that end as well. He isn’t necessarily a defensive stopper, but his defensive playmaking and on-ball footwork are the best they’ve ever been in college. Among players who have had a similar level of offensive responsibility and efficiency (assist rate over 35, effective field goal rate over 60) while also being disruptive on defense (block rate over 1 and steal rate over 2), Jones, Lonzo Ball, and Tyrese Haliburton are the only matches in major conferences. Are those great comps for Jones? Probably not. However, the query is more so to highlight the uniqueness of Jones’ contribution and the different paths to success in the NBA for him.

I get that senior point guards aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the way that Kam Jones is playing and producing is in the fashion of a star. When we look at college basketball right now, few players are controlling the game as well as Jones has been. He’s always been an efficient scorer, but now his playmaking and role have followed suit. The year-over-year growth that Jones has shown throughout his game on both ends of the floor suggests that there are myriad paths to success for him in the NBA. Don’t let preconceived notions about older point guards skew your evaluation of Jones, as he continues to look like one of the most versatile and polished guards in the 2025 NBA Draft.