As such, (Perry) Jones and his representatives devised a new plan in this eleventh hour stage of the process. Despite being seen as a power forward during his prep days and two collegiate seasons (a face-up four with the ability to go inside, to be more specific), Jones’ small forward skills are being emphasized now in an attempt to make him even more marketable to the many talent evaluators who no longer see him as a top-five pick like they did a year ago. Jones, who has been training here for the past six weeks, took a break between his morning strength work and his afternoon basketball sessions to discuss his situation on Friday.

He is considered one of the greatest mysteries of this group, a supremely talented player with the rarest of skill-sets and size (6-foot-11, 235 pounds) whose lack of assertiveness, toughness or consistency in college raised questions about whether he’d ever maximize his potential. And while we’ll delve deeper into Jones’ personal story soon as part of our ongoing draft coverage, he had a message to share that simply couldn’t wait: regardless of what position he plays, he’s finally starting to see how special he could be.

“I feel way more confident than I ever was at Baylor,” said Jones, who will head for Chicago predraft camp next week like most of the top-level prospects. “Working out three times a day, I feel great. I see the potential I have. I’m actually using the potential I have.

via Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated