Encouraging News: The plan for Kai Jones going forward and what he brings to the Sixers and the veteran big man has given the Sixers a significant boost, as he returned to practice with the team on Sunday…
Nick Nurse revealed the plan for Kai Jones while Buddy Hield and Kelly Oubre, Jr. talked about what the 2021 first-rounder brings to the Sixers.
The Sixers had two open roster spots. There was much speculation about what they’d do to fill them.
Sign a veteran big to provide depth behind Paul Reed and Mo Bamba? Bring up another player from the Blue Coats on a 10-day deal like Darius Bazley? Convert Ricky Council IV’s two-way contract to a standard deal?
With the veteran center market dried up, Bazley signing with the Utah Jazz, and the team perhaps waiting to resolve other business before giving Council a regular roster spot, they went in a very different — and very interesting — direction.
Last Friday the Sixers signed 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones to a 10-day contract. The 23-year-old big was waived by the Charlotte Hornets back in October after a string of odd social media posts, some saying disparaging things about teammates and the organization.
It took Jones a while to find another NBA opportunity, but now he’s with the Sixers, a team that features a couple familiar faces.
While with the Hornets last season, Jones was a teammate of Kelly Oubre, Jr. It would be fair to say that both players are a bit eccentric. Oubre talked about what Jones brings to the table on the court as well as how the Sixers need to embrace him off of it.
“New energy, athleticism, versatility,” Oubre told reporters at shootaround Saturday. “It’s up to us to welcome him with open arms, let him know that, ‘We are your family. You’re loved.’ I’m happy to have my boy back. I was definitely a good voice of reason for him over there in Charlotte, so I think that everything happens for a reason.”
Sure enough, the Sixers were playing Jones and Oubre’s former team Saturday. It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Sixers got the job done in a 109-98 victory over the Hornets. Buddy Hield had a strong second half, scoring all of his 14 points after halftime.
Like Jones, Hield is a native of The Bahamas. The two have played together for the country’s national team. Hield takes a lot of pride in making it to the NBA from The Bahamas, hoping to be an example for players like Jones.
Hield, now 30, was effusive in his praise of his fellow countryman.
“Kai, he was let go by the Hornets, but one thing about this league is you’re always getting another chance,” Hield said postgame. “I feel like coming here, he’ll get to see some of the veteran big men like Mo Bamba, Paul Reed, and if Joel [Embiid] comes back in time … he can see how they work. He’s a guy that belongs in this league. His athleticism is 99th-percentile athleticism. The way he plays, he’s just a freak of nature. I think he’s just got to keep staying humble and keep working.”
It doesn’t sound like Jones and Hield will get the opportunity to play together for the duration of Jones’ contract. Head coach Nick Nurse said the plan was for Jones to spend the entirety of this 10-day deal with the Delaware Blue Coats and see what happens from there.
Jones was already in Delaware, making his Blue Coats debut Friday night. He eased his way into the contest, but clearly got more comfortable as the game went on. In a little over 30 minutes, Jones stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and a block.
Nurse was in attendance Friday night and came away impressed.
“He did some good things,” Nurse said. “He’s got some size, he’s got some athleticism. I don’t know how many dunks he had last night — probably five or six — and a couple of them were pretty important tip-back dunks. He seemed to play his role really well. He doesn’t seem to try to do too much. He rebounds, he runs, he really screens. He moves it to the next action over and over again. So for his first game, that wasn’t too bad.”
Unfortunately, Jones was forced to leave at halftime in Saturday’s Blue Coats after suffering a hamstring injury. He’d played well up to that point, but we’ll await word on his status going forward.
In any case, Jones is an intriguing big man that will get a look from the Sixers. We’ll see if the team sees enough to keep him beyond his initial 10-day deal.
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