Experience and shooting aptitude are always needed on the basketball court, and Kansas State has just that in Max Jones, a transfer from Cal State Fullerton.
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound shooting guard, signed with K-State after two seasons at Division II University of Tampa and Cal State Fullerton.
Jones has one year of eligibility remaining and can play either guard position. Jones played in 84 games, started 81, and averaged about 30 minutes per game, averaging about 1,400 career points. Jones was named All-Big West Honorable Mention in the 2022-23 season and was a two-time first-team all-conference and Freshman of the Year honoree in the Sunshine State Conference during his time at the University of Tampa.
Jones has 26 20-point games and six 30-point games in his career, including a career-high 39 points against Florida Tech while in Tampa. His career high while at Cal State Fullerton was at 30 against Nebraska earlier this year.
What the statistics show
Jones made the jump from Division II to Division I, and it was a smooth one. He had a double-digit scoring season and was efficient from anywhere on the floor.
In his first year at Cal State Fullerton, he played in the Big West championship game alongside Latrell Lightsell Jr., who now plays at the University of Alabama. In his second season, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, shooting 46.1 percent from two, 39.8 percent from three, and 78.5 percent from free throws.
In his junior year, he increased his points per game, but his efficiency decreased as he assumed a larger role. He averaged 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 34.2 percent from two, 38.8 percent from three, and 78.8 percent from free throws.
Jones posted the highest offensive rating in his first year at Cal State Fullerton with a usage rate of 106.8 compared to Bart Torbic's 22.9 usage rate. Over the past year, his offensive rating has dropped to 95.2, compared to his usage rate of 32.0. His effective field goal percentage also decreased by 6 percent and his turnover rate was 19.5 percent.
Jones improved his steal percentage with a 3.7% steal percentage and a 55% free throw percentage. Jones has done a good job of getting to the free-throw line this season despite his high usage and role as the primary ball handler and scorer. His poor 2-point shooting is a concern, but Jones has the size and size to improve his 2-point shooting with K-State's coaching staff.
what the movie says
Jones has a smooth left-handed shooting motion and plays with good tempo on offense. He's a good 3-point shooter percentage-wise, and it shows on film. He has the ability to take shots off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot opportunities.
He has a quick first step to get past initial defenders, but struggles at the rim and midrange. He shot 34.6 percent at the rim on 78 attempts and 33.8 percent on midrange jumpers on 68 attempts, according to Bart Torbic.
He seems to have more speed when attacking the rim and K-State's spacing this season will help with that. Jones has good size for a combo guard at 6 feet 4 inches and has shown the ability to post up smaller guards and score effectively.
Another area he needs to improve on is turnovers, averaging 2.9 turnovers and a turnover rate of 19.5% this season as he took on more of a playmaking role. Last season, he played more off-ball, playing as a combo guard, averaging two turnovers per game and a turnover rate of 17.4%.
Although he needs to reduce his turnovers, he has been more successful playing off-ball, shooting 12 percentage points better on two-pointers as an off-ball guard.
Defensively, he has the size to play multiple positions, but tends to get lost when moving around screens. He also had a tendency to gamble on defense and go for steals more, but those are correctable mistakes that K-State coaches can correct.
Compatible with K state
His fit with K-State is interesting as the big guard has shown the ability to create shots from three and attack the basket.
Max is good at getting to the free throw line, making 55% of his free throws and 78% in his career. One of the areas he has improved is shooting better from 2, but his shot selection will be even better at K-State. What's interesting is that K-State has a number of guards who could start next to Doug McDaniel, depending on the combination of Max Jones, CJ Jones and Brendan Housen.
Jones has the talent to be a starting-caliber guard in the Big 12, but he needs to cut down on his turnovers, but he should be a good second choice to McDaniel's exciting guard.
He could come off the bench as a sixth man and be a volume scorer. Jones has endless possibilities and it will be interesting to see what plans the K-State coaches have for him.
What Tang says
“It's always a great day to be a Wildcat and we look forward to welcoming Max and his family to K-State. Max is a proven and versatile shot maker. He plays and is always in attack mode on both ends of the floor.”
