Center Jones relishes rare NBA stint
DENVER — Warriors center Damian Jones is navigating a peculiar reality in his second NBA season: Though on a guaranteed contract with Golden State, he has barely been with the big club all season.
Jones was recalled this week from the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz to get in some practice, add frontcourt depth and, perhaps most importantly, feel connected to his NBA teammates. After playing one minute in Friday night’s win in Sacramento, he flew to Denver with Golden State because backup center David West went to attend the funeral of his late friend and former teammate Rasual Butler, who was killed Wednesday in a car crash in Los Angeles.
“It’s great to have him here,” head coach Steve Kerr said of Jones. “It’s good to have him with us a little bit, so he feels part of it. He’s not going to play much, obviously, because we’re loaded at that position, and it’s hard to play everybody. We’re happy with his development.”
As a rookie last season, Jones shuttled 18 times between Golden State and the D-League (since rebranded G League from a Gatorade partnership). When Jones finally started to get comfortable with his new, itinerant lifestyle, he was a force, earning Development League Player of the Month in March and April after averaging 17.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 12 games.
It was enough for Jones to get a realistic shot at Golden State’s rotation. However, he struggled with consistency in the Las Vegas Summer League and in training camp. Rookie Jordan Bell and thirdyear big man Kevon Looney solidified spots ahead of Jones on the depth chart. With established rotation players West, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee also in the fold, Jones would be Golden State’s sixth center.
Jones, who is expected to re-join Santa Cruz for its game Tuesday in Salt Lake City, hasn’t missed a game with Santa Cruz since making Highway 17’s winding trek across the Santa Cruz Mountains in late October for the team’s training camp. The 30th overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft, Jones is averaging 15.3 points on a league-leading 67.6 percent shooting, eight rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 blocks. He played 4 minutes Saturday night in the Warriors’ 115-108 loss in Denver, accumulating three fouls but blocking a shot impressively in the second half.
Along with Golden State two-way player Quinn Cook, he was named Friday to the Midseason All-NBA G League Western Conference Team. The question is when Jones will get the opportunity to show he belongs with Golden State, which picked up his $1.5 million third-year option on Oct. 31. He is the only true center on the Warriors’ roster under contract for next season, and it’s possible that the Warriors move a center by Thursday’s trade deadline.
“I didn’t expect to be here this long,” Jones said of his latest stint with Golden State. “To be able to be here another day and hang out with the guys, that’s cool.”