PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers made a move to bring in Kai Jones on a 10-day deal in order to add more depth to their big man spot in the time being without Joel Embiid.
Jones, a former first-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft, was released by the Charlotte Hornets in October after two seasons with the team. He averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds across 67 games with Charlotte.
At the moment, the Sixers have Jones down in the G League with the team’s affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. When considering it’s only a 10-day deal, one has to wonder what the plan is for him.
“I think that we just wanted to get him 10 days down there (in the G League), first and foremost,” said coach Nick Nurse. “Then after those 10 days, we’ll re-evaluate and take it from there.”
Jones had 14 points, eight rebounds, and five steals in a Blue Coats win on Friday night. He has a big athletic aspect that he can bring to the floor so one has to wonder what Nurse and the Sixers see out of Jones and whether he will get his chance in Philadelphia.
“I went out there last night (Friday) and watched him,” Nurse said. “He did some good things. 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.”
One has to wonder if the Sixers will give Jones a look, but if they do, it appears that it has to be on a second 10-day deal.
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