Kam Jones was essentially tossed to the side by the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls before swiftly being picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks. With a chip on his shoulder, Milwaukee's newcomer would get an immediate opportunity to prove himself in Summer League, and he didn't disappoint with his solid performance against the Sacramento Kings.
Jones starts off on the right foot with Bucks
Coming off the bench in his game with the Bucks, Jones looked comfortable. Despite playing under four minutes in the first quarter, the guard poured in eight points and an assist, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor while sinking a free throw. Confidence was clearly not an issue, as the guard wasted no time getting himself into a groove and helping the Bucks claw out of an early hole.
Jones didn't carry that exact same momentum throughout the rest of the matchup, but he remained in attack mode. In 18 total minutes, he finished with 14 points, three assists, and two rebounds, being one of the bright spots in a six-point loss to Sacramento. The most problematic part of Jones' night was that he had five turnovers. That could partially be attributed to him getting his legs under him.
All in all, considering he just got signed and was meeting many of his teammates for the first time, it would be hard to be upset with this performance from Jones. Now, it's time for the guard to build off this momentum and keep the ball rolling.
Jones has plenty of potential in tow
Snatching Jones off the open market wasn't a hard decision for the Milwaukee Bucks. How often do you have an opportunity to grab a player who went 38th overall in the draft a year ago on a two-way contract? Not often. Despite Milwaukee's guard room being crowded, they now have an opportunity to develop a potential-filled 24-year-old who can help in this next era of Bucks basketball.
It is surprising that both the Pacers and Bulls gave up on Jones so early. Sure, he didn't play much for Indiana during his rookie season, but it wouldn't have hurt to have a good depth piece. They traded him to the Bulls, along with cash and pick swaps in the NBA Draft, and despite him being a good fit for Chicago, they clearly felt like they didn't need him and cut him.
The Bucks sure are glad that they did. It's been one game, but Jones looks like a player with something to prove, much like countless other players on the Summer League squad.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google