Mizzou Hoops Player Review: Jayden Stone

Going into the season, it’s hard to say what the expectations were for West Virginia transfer Jayden Stone. But whatever they were, they weren’t very high. Of the more than 100 votes cast on the annual Top 8 post, only 10 ballots had Stone with any kind of vote.

What most Missouri fans thought we were getting was a deep reserve, someone who could fill in for a few minutes here and there, and mostly provide some spot up shooting.

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What they got was a guy who started 20 games, played in 26, and still managed the 3rd most minutes played behind just Mark Mitchell and Anthony Robinson II.

Some might look at this result and point to the clear message that the roster was built poorly from the outset, but while that’s still entirely true, it doesn’t discount how much better and more prepared Stone was for SEC competition than we anticipated.

Despite missing 7 games due to injury, Stone was likely the second most important offensive factor for the Tigers. He scored in double figures in 20 of the games he saw action in, averaging 13.5 points per game by the end of the year. He was one of the most efficient players on the team, with a 130.0 offensive rating, and shot a career best 38.5% from beyond the three point arc. Basically everything you were worried about Stone coming into the season ended up being eitehr non-factors or proven wrong.

Defensively he held up at the point of attack, and his ability to play passing lanes created a host of quick transition points. Which was gold for a team who sometimes struggled to score in the half court.

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Against Mizzou’s soft non-conference schedule to open the season, Stone was a quiet contributor despite being the second or third leading scorer most nights. It wasn’t until his hand injury, and he missed 7 games did his fit into the rotation really come to light. Stone missed those 7 games, and they included three losses to Notre Dame, Kansas and Illinois. The latter two were rivalry games and the Tigers were…

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Publish date : 2026-06-20 10:00:00

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