Jaron Pierre Jr. Scouting Deepdive
One of the top scorers in college hoops, Jaron Pierre Jr. is a hidden gem with real NBA potential. Learn more about what makes Pierre Jr. a diamond in the rough.
Every now and then, you find a diamond in the rough hiding at a lower level of college basketball that’s ready to bust onto the scene. Let me introduce you to Jaron Pierre Jr. The 6’5 guard was fourth in the country in scoring this season, averaging 21.6 points per game. The senior started out at Southern Mississippi, then Wichita State, then Jacksonville State for the most recent season and he’s back in the transfer portal while declaring for the NBA Draft. What makes Pierre Jr. an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on? Can he translate to the next level? Let’s dive in.
The Physical Profile
Jaron Pierre Jr. stands at 6’5 and weighs in at 188 pounds. His body doesn’t blow you away, but his skills on the court will. He’s highly athletic, he’s quick, he is a strong finisher around the rim, and he can rack up the boards. Let’s take a look at a couple of comparable players.
One player that comes to mind is, Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Mathurin is known for his scoring-first mentality that’s made him such a viable piece in the Pacers upward trajectory. He can slash to the paint, he’s a proficient finisher around the rim, but he can also serve as a secondary ball handler for both Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard. He’s 6’5, 210 pounds, so you can imagine that once Pierre Jr. gets into a higher-level development program he could add on some next muscle. Mathurin is averaging 34.5% from deep on his career and 4.5 rebounds per game. If you told me that Pierre Jr. was doing something similar, I wouldn’t be shocked. I love this comparison because I believe that Pierre Jr. could model a similar career and playing style, while most likely playing primarily off the bench.
Another player that reminds me of Pierre Jr. is, Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Detroit Pistons. Hardaway Jr. is by no means in his prime anymore, but I do love some of the similarities the two share. Hardaway Jr. was highly athletic, he was strong around the rim, he could serve as a secondary ball handler, and he could knock down shots from deep. Do I think that Pierre Jr. is going to match the prime Hardaway Jr. that we all saw at in New York and Dallas? Probably not, but you could imagine Pierre Jr. producing a similar style of play just in a lesser role for his respective teams.
Pierre Jr. is ATHLETIC. He has the ability to slam it home from near the free throw line with ease. He can fly up and down the court, he can slash, he can get dirty in the paint. You name it, he can do it when it comes to his athleticism. Now, will this ease of scoring due to his athleticism decrease at the power conference or professional level? Most likely, but the raw abilities are there, and it will allow him to continue improving his game.
What’s the Vision?
Regardless of the level of competition you are playing at, averaging over 20 points per game and finishing top five in the country is an impressive accolade. The Conference USA isn’t a poorly ranked conference either. The conference finished ninth in KenPom, and Pierre Jr. had the opportunity to go up tough teams like Liberty and budding stars like Adrian Wooley.
Offense
On the offensive end, he can slash to the paint, he can knock down mid-range jumpers, he can catch-and-shoot, he can create offense for himself, and he can knock down NBA range three-pointers. You name it, he can do it from a scoring perspective. He placed in the 80th percentile on catch-and-shoot baskets, he finished 52% of shots around the rim, and he finished shooting 43.7% overall. I highly encourage you to watch the highlights linked below because he’s offensive skills are some of the best in all of college basketball. There’s a reason he’s one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal.
Playmaking
While his scoring abilities are the highlight of his game, Pierre Jr. can also dish it out. He averaged 3.8 assists this past season for Jacksonville State. He isn’t going to lead the point for a team, but he’s a perfect combo guard who has enough feeling for ball handling that makes him a threat. When a player can score, but not have a true grip on ball handling, it creates opportunities for defenders to clamp down and expose their weaknesses. For Pierre Jr., this isn’t a problem and only opens up his ability to drive into the paint and either finish at the rim where he averaged 52% on the season or dish it back out to a teammate.
Defense
Let’s chat about his defense briefly. He’s obviously an offensively minded player, but he’s not afraid to get dirty in the paint and fight for boards. He averaged 5.5 rebounds per game last season, and he averages 3.9 rebounds for his career. He’s not really a threat to rack up steals or blocks, but the rest of his game makes up for where this part of his game lacks.
How Can It Break Down?
Defense
The largest red flag in my opinion is Pierre Jr.’s defense. He has yet to show us that he can defend at a high-level, so I’m curious to see what he’ll do if he returns to college basketball next season at the power conference level. He isn’t an albatross by any means and his offensive capabilities make up for his lack of skill on the defensive end. However, if he wants to become a starter in the NBA, rather than an offensive specialist off the bench, he’ll have to work on developing as a defender.
Consistency
Another potential issue could be his consistency to knock down shots from deep. He shot 38.2% from deep this past season, which was a career high. The season before, he shot just 28.2% for Wichita State on 177 attempts. He shot the best he has yet in college basketball on a career high 272 attempts this season. All around, he took an enormous step forward this year, but how will it fair against tougher competition. Will his percentage regress at the power conference level? Will it regress in the NBA? The answer to both questions is, most likely yes. However, if he could hover around 34%, he’ll be golden. He’s already proven that he can knock down NBA range three-point shots, so he just needs to make sure he can stay consistent.
What’s the Pathway?
If he returns to college basketball next year, which is most likely, Pierre Jr. will be a bit older for the class of 2026. He’ll turn 23 on July 12th, which means he’d be 24 in his rookie year. Is that a big deal for some people? Sure. Does that mean someone shouldn’t take a chance on him? Nope.
With NIL, the transfer portal, and entire environment of college basketball, we are going to continue to see some older players get drafted compared to historical years. Even at 24, someone would be drafting a microwave scorer who can immediately come off the bench in year one and provide meaningful minutes. Now, if he wants to take his game to the next level, here’s a couple of things he should work on:
Defense – I highlighted this in the “how can it break down” section, but there are some question marks around his defense. I don’t expect him to go out and rack up multiple blocks or even steals per game, but I want him to prove that he can be viable on the court at the next level.
Playmaking – He’s already a prolific scorer and he’s proved that he can be a secondary ball handler. At his next destination, I would love to see him continue to take a step forward with his ball handling. He was already at a 21.4% assist rate last year. He can create offense for himself at a high-rate, and if he can unlock an ability to be a go-to guy for both scoring and creating offense for others…watch out.
What is my recommendation for Pierre Jr.? I would tell him to return to college basketball but do exactly what he’s doing and test the NBA Draft water. He’s going to get some valuable feedback on what he can do to improve and ways to increase his stock. He’s going to land in an elite college program as some of the top teams in the country are vying for him. There’s a lot of buzz around Kentucky right now in particular. He’s going to get an opportunity to show the world what he is capable of against some of the best talent in all of college basketball. If he can transfer continue on the trajectory he’s on we are going to be having some serious conversations around his draft stock in 2026.