Warriors:
Terrence Jones hoping to get back in NBA
SANTA CRUZ — Drenched in sweat after a workout last month at Kaiser Permanente Arena, Terrence Jones shook his head slightly and wiped his forehead with his white Santa Cruz Warriors practice jersey.
“A lot has happened the past few years, some of it in my control and some of it not,” Jones said. “Right now, I’m just happy to be here.”
A couple of hours earlier, Jones had made Highway 17’s winding trek across the Santa Cruz Mountains to begin the next phase of his basketball odyssey with Golden State’s G League affiliate. His plan is simple: Post gaudy numbers, earn a Gatorade call-up and resuscitate his NBA career.
It is a curious predicament for a player who had been on track for greatness. In the 31 months since he logged meaningful minutes for Houston in the 2015 Western Conference finals against Golden State, Jones has been waived by New Orleans, Milwaukee and a team in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Inconsistent play, a lengthy injury history and concerns about his attitude have forced Jones, 25, to return to the minor league he ruled as a rookie a half-decade ago.
Unlike his first stint in the NBA’s minor-league system, when he made $1.5 million as an affiliate player with the Rockets, Jones is earning a prorated portion of the G League’s $26,000 salary. Because he isn’t under contract with Golden State, he is free to sign with any NBA team.
What hasn’t changed is his ability to dominate. Through three games with Santa Cruz, Jones is averaging 19 points on 52.5 percent shooting — including 44.4 percent from three-point range — to go with eight rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 3.3 assists. In front of a nearcapacity crowd of 2,476 last Tuesday, Jones led host Santa Cruz to a 115-112 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers with 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting, 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and two steals.
“Talent-wise, there’s no question he’s an NBA player,” Santa Cruz head coach Aaron Miles said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he can come, play really well in this league, help us win some games and help himself get a call-up. He’s looking at it as an opportunity to continue to grow and mature, as everyone else is.”
After helping lead Kentucky to the 2012 national championship, Jones went 18th in the NBA draft to Houston. In July 2013, while visiting family in Portland, Ore., he was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly stomping on the leg of a homeless man who was sleeping outside a night club. The following season, Jones started 71 games at power forward, averaging 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds for a 54-win Houston team.
Injuries limited him to a combined 83 games over the next two years. Unable to find much of a rhythm, Jones fell out of the rotation and watched from the bench as Houston lost to Golden State in the first round of the 2016 playoffs.
He showed some promise in 51 games with New Orleans last season before the Pelicans, their frontcourt suddenly crowded in the wake of the DeMarcus Cousins trade, waived him in February. After a brief stint with Milwaukee, Jones signed a $2 million deal with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Qingdao Eagles.
The culture shock wore on him. Because of the 15-hour time difference, Jones had a tough time FaceTiming his 6-year-old son stateside. Communicating with his teammates required the help of an interpreter. In late November, after reportedly getting kicked out of practice for a confrontation with the head coach, Jones was released by Qingdao nine games into the season.
“I knew right away that I wanted to go to the G League,” Jones said. “Anything to get back to the NBA, I was willing to do.”
Now with his fifth team in 20 months, Jones has appreciated seeing a familiar face. Miles has known Jones since Jones was in elementary school. A decade after Miles played at Jefferson High in Portland, his younger brother played alongside Jones at the school. Their families attend the same church.
Three weeks ago, when he arrived in Santa Cruz, Jones promised Miles that he wouldn’t be another former NBA player disgruntled about toiling in a lesser league. His once-promising career on life support, Jones wanted to learn from all that had happened for him to reach this point.
“The thing for all guys coming into the G League, especially guys coming from the NBA, it’s important that they embrace it,” Miles said. “I’m not saying that this is where they want to be, but basically just be like, ‘OK, this is the situation. I’m going to make the most of it.’ That’s what Terrence is doing.”