Tag: Kai Jones

Kai Jones discusses new opportunity by joining Sixers on 10-day deal

Kai Jones discusses getting another opportunity with the Philadelphia 76ers on his current 10-day deal.

The Philadelphia 76ers decided to bring in former Charlotte Hornets big man Kai Jones on a 10-day deal as they add to their big man depth. Jones is a former 2021 first-round pick who was released by the Hornets after two seasons.

Coach Nick Nurse said the plan for Jones, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, is to keep him in the G League for this 10-day deal. The Sixers will evaluate him after that and decide what comes next for the young big man who is looking for another opportunity in the league.

Jones sat down with Shams Charania and discussed what happened with the Hornets, the losses in his life and his new opportunity with the Sixers:

It’s an amazing opportunity. I’m blessed to be in this position and I’m very excited to go out and play. For me right now with this 10-day opportunity is to go in, take it one shot at a time, one defensive possession at a time, understand the coverages as quickly as I can, and know the players as quickly as I can. I want to make a smooth transition to the NBA.

It will be interesting to see if Jones will get an opportunity with the Sixers as he continues with his second chance in the league.

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Buddy Hield reacts to Sixers adding big man Kai Jones on a 10-day

Buddy Hield reacts to the Philadelphia 76ers bringing in Kai Jones on a 10-day deal.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers made a move in the buyout market, taking a flier on athletic big man Kai Jones. The former 2021 first-round pick of the Charlotte Hornets played two seasons in Charlotte averaging 2.7 points and 2 rebounds across 67 games.

Coach Nick Nurse said the plan for Jones is to keep him in the G League on this 10-day deal and then evaluate him. He is still a young player who would benefit from being around Joel Embiid, Mo Bamba and Paul Reed. Those  three veterans can teach him the ropes.

Jones hails from the Bahamas just like Sixers sharpshooter Buddy Hield. The big man received a nice review from Hield.

“I saw him when he came in for his workout,” said Hield. “Kai, he was let go by the Hornets, but one thing about this league is you’re always getting another chance. I feel like coming here, he’ll get to see some of the veteran big men like Mo Bamba, Paul Reed, and if Joel comes back in time, he can see how they work.”

The biggest thing Jones can offer right now is his motor and his athleticism. The Sixers could absolutely use his ability to come up with big plays such as game-changing blocks, steals or highlight dunks. He wasn’t able to shine in Charlotte, but Philadephia offers another opportunity.

“He’s a guy that belongs in this league,” Hield added. “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.”

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Nick Nurse reveals Sixers’ plans for big man Kai Jones on his 10-day

Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse reveals what the team’s plan is for Kai Jones on his 10-day deal.

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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Kelly Oubre Jr. reacts to Sixers bringing in Kai Jones on a 10-day

Kelly Oubre Jr. reacts to the Philadelphia 76ers adding former Charlotte Hornets big man Kai Jones.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers decided to bring in big man Kai Jones on a 10-day deal in order to add to their depth at the center and power forward spots. The Sixers have needed some size ever since Joel Embiid went out with a meniscus injury.

In 67 career games with the Charlotte Hornets, Jones averages 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game and offers versatility and athleticism to the Sixers. Charlotte released the big man in October after two seasons.

Kelly Oubre Jr., who played with Jones in the previous two seasons in Charlotte, knows exactly what he can bring to the table. Oubre claims he was a bit of a good voice of reason for his younger teammate.

“New energy, athleticism, versatility, but it’s up to us to welcome him with open arms to let him know that you know, we are your family,” said Oubre. “You’re loved and 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.”

Jones was the 19th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft and has shown off a lot of athleticism and defensive acumen. He had 14 points, eight rebounds, and five steals in Friday’s win for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League. He will have to prove himself in a short amount of time in order to earn another deal.

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Sixers to meet with former Hornets big man Kai Jones in coming days

The Philadelphia 76ers plan to work out and meet with former Charlotte Hornets big man Kai Jones in the coming days.

The Philadelphia 76ers may be looking to make another move in order to add to their roster before the playoffs begin.

With an open roster spot, and with Joel Embiid continuing to be sidelined for now, the Sixers are expected to meet with former Charlotte Hornets big man Kai Jones. Charlotte parted ways with Jones back in October after selecting him with the 19th pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

In 67 games for the Hornets across two seasons, the 6-foot-11 big man averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds. He has an athletic component and has a lot of potential to produce at age 23.

Per Shams Charania:

The 76ers are planning to work out and meet with former Hornets first round pick Kai Jones in the coming days, sources tell me. The 76ers are showing an interest in Jones who was waived by Charlotte in mid-October and has been working on himself on and off the court in the aftermath. The 76ers do have an open roster spot.

For now, the Sixers are relying on Paul Reed and Mo Bamba to hold down the center spot until Embiid returns, but it will be interesting if Jones is thrown into the mix.

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Kai Jones filthily posterized Victor Wembanyama and NBA fans were wowed

Wemby got posterized in his debut.

OK, so Victor Wembanyama didn’t have the best of Summer League debuts.

But that’s really not bad. He still had some moments when you saw what he was capable of (and, remember, he’s 19 years old!).

That said, on Friday night, while his San Antonio Spurs faced the Charlotte Hornets in the Summer League, Wemby had his first posterization courtesy of former NBA Draft sleeper Kai Jones.

Now, I wouldn’t call it a full dunk — Jones caught an alley-oop pass and kind of threw it down into the hoop. But it’s still a posterization.

Fans were in awe of it as we saw on Twitter:

Rumor: Hornets, Spurs discussed trade involving Kai Jones

The Hornets and Spurs were reportedly engaged in trade discussions ahead of the deadline on Thursday.

Ahead of the NBA trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs reportedly discussed a trade centered around center Jakob Poeltl, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The Hornets were in discussions to send  P.J. Washington, Kai Jones and a first-round pick to the Spurs for Poeltl. However, the two teams were unable to complete the deal ahead of the 3 p.m. EST deadline on Thursday as the hang-up was apparently over the inclusion of a first-round pick.

Poeltl was ultimately not dealt and will stay with the Spurs.

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Charlotte was relatively quiet at the trade deadline, opting only to acquire Montrezl Harrell from the Washington Wizards for Vernon Carey Jr. and Ish Smith. They were in the market for a center and ultimately chose to acquire Harrell.

Meanwhile, the Spurs were one the more busy teams ahead of the deadline.

They opted to trade Derrick White to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a first-round pick. In another move, they moved Thaddeus Young and Drew Eubanks to the Toronto Raptors for Goran Dragic and a first-round pick. They are expected to waive Dragic.

Of course, teams often discuss several trades each year ahead of the deadline as many ultimately never come to fruition. In the end, the Hornets and Spurs were unable to come to an agreement for Poeltl.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Hornets’ Kai Jones placed in health and safety protocol

Jones has played sparingly with the Hornets, totaling just 33 minutes across 12 appearances this season.

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kai Jones was placed into the NBA’s health and safety protocol and will not play on Wednesday versus the Philadelphia 76ers, the team announced.

Jones joins Kelly Oubre Jr. as the only two players on the roster currently in the health and safety protocol. The team experienced a coronavirus outbreak last month and had at least five individuals in the protocol at one point in early December.

Players and coaches entered into the health and safety protocol that are vaccinated can be cleared to return after six days, compared to the previous 10-day isolation period. Individuals can still be cleared sooner if they return two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart.

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Jones has played sparingly with the Hornets, totaling just 33 minutes across 12 appearances this season. He has also logged time in the NBA G League with the Greensboro Swarm, averaging 11.3 points, six rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocked shots in eight games.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Hornets assign James Bouknight, Kai Jones to Swarm in G League

The two players are expected to play on Saturday as the Swarm host the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

On Friday, the Charlotte Hornets assigned rookie guard James Bouknight and center Kai Jones to the Greensboro Swarm, their affiliate in the NBA G League.

The two players have played sparingly to this point of the season with the Hornets. Bouknight has logged only five appearances for the Hornets, totaling two rebounds in eight minutes of play. Jones has played five minutes in four games.

Bouknight and Jones will now have the opportunity to see extended minutes with the Swarm. They face the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Saturday and will likely have a large role in that contest on assignment.

Hornets head coach James Borrego said last month the team firmly believes Bouknight and Jones figure into its long-term plans but will need to find playing time for them. They like what each player brings and it figures to be only a matter of time before they crack the rotation.

The contest between the Swarm and Vipers can be streamed starting at 7 p.m. EST.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Hornets’ Kai Jones impressing in preseason with energy, effort

Jones through two preseason games has played sparingly, but the 19th overall pick is making the most of those minutes on the court.

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kai Jones through two preseason games has played sparingly, but the 19th overall pick is making the most of those minutes on the court.

The Hornets have opted to bring Jones along slowly as he has logged just 21 minutes in two games. He has totaled nine points, seven rebounds and one steal to this point, but the team has enjoyed a nice boost of energy when he comes in off the bench.

Jones made a name for himself with the Hornets in the Las Vegas Summer League by making hustle plays and impacting games on defense. During his last game on Thursday, Jones made an impression on head coach James Borrego by doing just that.

Said Borrego:

I thought he affected the game when he came in. On the board, rolling to the rim. The game needs to slow down for him, but that’s going to just come over time. What I was impressed by was just his overall effort, his ability to go make plays with his athleticism and motor.

Jones posted 9.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in five games with the Hornets in Las Vegas. His best game came on Aug. 16 with 16 points and nine rebounds while his 16 rebounds hauled in on Aug. 14 were the fourth-most in a game this year.

Jones was highly touted entering the draft for his ability on defense. However, with a shot that is improving, he could emerge as a strong 3-and-D prospect, something the Hornets could definitely use in the frontcourt.

It is clear that Jones will need time to reach that level but he could emerge as one of the most productive players from the draft, and the Hornets are certainly happy he fell to them.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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