The Kings are looking to fill in their third point guard roster spot, and rookie Colby Jones is making a strong case for himself.
Jones, who Sacramento traded up to select at No. 34 in the 2023 draft, showcased his versatile talents across the stat sheet in Monday's NBA Summer League loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Las Vegas.
The 21-year-old guard dropped a game-high 19 points on an efficient 61.5-percent shooting from the field and 42.8 percent from 3-point range, adding nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 31 minutes. After the 80-70 loss, Jones said his confidence already is growing stronger and is allowing him to better adjust to the NBA.
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"Just being confident in my shot. Coaches are telling me to shoot the ball when I'm open and that gives me a lot of confidence," Jones said (h/t FOX40's Sean Cunningham). "I've been working on that a lot so just wanting to trust that and being able to shoot it when I'm open."
Jones showed off his unique two-way play that already has been praised by many, and is one of the reasons why Kings general manager Monte McNair did whatever it took to move four spots ahead in the draft to select him.
His nine rebounds were tied for the game-high, matching 6-foot-10 Clippers center Moussa Diabate's boards. Jones said after the loss that he reads the ball before it hits the rim which allows him to follow the ball and secure the rebound.
NBA
Contributing wherever he can is something Jones is comfortable with and used to.
"I feel like I play different roles," Jones said. "I feel like I've always been doing that my whole life so if coach puts me in different positions, I feel comfortable with a lot of them. It's just something I've been used to my whole career."
And on Monday, he took matters into his own hands when it came to rebounding after the Kings lost Neemias Queta to a foot injury earlier in the game. After the contest, Kings summer league coach Luke Loucks said there wasn't an immediate update on Queta's status but assured he'd have more information by Tuesday morning.
Sacramento has a chance to bounce back Tuesday as the team takes on the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. PT. The Kings' final game of the summer will come Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.