Warriors’ Jones adapts to much-expanded role
In recent months, as he went from the G League to the starting lineup of the back-toback NBA champions, Damian Jones was hardly fazed. Asked about his expanded role this season, Jones said, “I’m just hoopin’ and having a good time.”
That Jones is seemingly impervious to all the pressure that comes with anchoring the Warriors inside is perhaps the biggest reason he has been so successful. As DeMarcus Cousins rehabs from his torn left Achilles tendon, Jones is content to run the floor, block shots, throw down alley-oop dunks and trust that his AllStar supporting cast will make him look good.
“I pretty much stay mellow all the time,” Jones said after needing only five shots and 20 minutes to score 13 points in Monday night’s 123-103 rout of the Suns. “I just stay within myself and have confidence in my abilities on the court.”
Those abilities have long been unquestioned: At 7-foot, 245 pounds with a 7-foot-3¾-
inch wingspan and a 36-inch vertical leap, Jones has the size and jumping ability of the prototypical NBA big man. What is just now becoming clear is that his intensity, focus and general feel for the game have started to catch up to his physical tools.
After spending the majority of his first two professional seasons in the G League, Jones is holding his own against some of the NBA’s top centers. Within his first seven days as Golden State’s starter, he faced Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams, Utah’s Rudy Gobert, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton, emerging from that gauntlet with the trust of his team.
“I thought that he passed this week’s test with flying colors,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s doing really well.”
Outside of his massive frame, Jones is like most 23year-olds. He spends much of his free time playing friends in “Ghost Recon,” a tactical shooter game, on PlayStation 4. Jones also enjoys reading comic books and scouting new cities for the best doughnut shop.
Teammates appreciate his innocence. Unlike many young players who succumb to the temptations of the NBA lifestyle, Jones is still the softspoken, jovial intellect who majored in engineering science at Vanderbilt. Seldom does a news conference pass without him giggling through a question or two.
The challenge for the Warriors was getting Jones to shed his nice-guy persona on the court.
During his three years at Vanderbilt, he got away with taking plays off. In the G League, against players striving for long-term NBA roles, Jones learned to give consistent effort, attack the glass and grasp the spacing necessary to become a reliable interior defender.
Midway through Jones’ rookie season, Casey Hill — then the Santa Cruz Warriors’ head coach — was borderline giddy when his prized prospect asked to come off the court three or four times in a game against Grand Rapids. That Jones was too winded to keep playing showed Hill that he was finally giving 100 percent effort.
After Golden State lost David West (retirement), JaVale McGee (Lakers) and Zaza Pachulia (Pistons) in the summer, Kerr opened training camp last month wanting Jones to start at center in Cousins’ absence. Jones’ size and agility made him the best matchup for many of the big men who populate the Western Conference. Thanks to his uncanny ability to snag lobs, he also provides a new dimension to a starting lineup built around spacing the floor.
Through just four games, Jones seemingly has left little doubt that the Warriors will pick up his $2.3 million option for next season by next Wednesday. His knack for hammering home alley-oops has made him a team favorite. In 21 minutes per game, Jones is averaging 9.3 points on 85 percent shooting to go with 1.8 blocks.
Still, he has plenty of room for improvement. Too often, Jones gets out of position defensively, picking up needless fouls. His 3.3 rebounds per game suggest that he could be better at boxing out opponents and crashing the glass.
“He still obviously has a lot to learn,” guard Stephen Curry said, “but that’s great for us in terms of getting him to his full potential.”