Kings In Review: Has Damian Jones proved his value in Sacramento?

Should the Kings retain Damian Jones?

Welcome to Kings In Review, where we’ll be recapping the season for every player that ended the season in Sacramento.

In his second year with the Sacramento Kings, Damian Jones may have finally found his home after showing that he is worth re-signing this offseason.

Jones has been a career journeyman since being selected 30th overall by the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Like many of the league’s big men, Jones has had trouble proving he is worth investing in long term.

The NBA used to be a league that was dominated by physical giants that scored inside the paint with ease like Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul Jabbar, traditional centers. Nowadays it is run by “positionless” versatile players that can run, pass, and score from anywhere on the court. Even the top big men in the league are multifaceted. Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, and even fellow King Domantas Sabonis are all so valuable because they can do more than dominate the paint.

This is something Jones has struggled with his entire career. However, there is one characteristic Jones possesses that is invaluable. His readiness. Jones has spent his career as a rotational guy that often comes in when the starter is unavailable. This season in Sacramento, Jones played in more games than any other season in his career by being a true next man up.

In his 56 games Jones averaged career highs in both points and three point percentage, 8.1 and 34.5% respectfully. By no means are these numbers crazy impressive. However, for a player that has never been given a real chance to prove himself on the court he’s shown that he can be a valuable rotation player for a team like Sacramento that has not been the most skilled in the big man department.

Considering he already has chemistry within the Kings and can be resigned for little cost, Sacramento should give Jones another chance to show why he belongs.