Coming out of high school, Jones was a 6-foot-9, 220 pound center from Louisiana who flashed a lot of potential but had an underdeveloped game. He was largely an under-the-radar recruit until the spring of his junior year, when he began to turn heads with his play in the AAU circuit. By the end of his senior year, Jones was a four-star recruit and had turned down interest from Duke, Florida and others to play for the Commodores.
When he began his college career, it was unlikely that Jones would end up being a first-round pick in the NBA draft.