Welcome to Sacramento: Getting to know Kings draft picks Colby Jones and Jalen Slawson
Kings general manager Monte McNair welcomed Colby Jones and Jalen Slawson to Sacramento during an introductory news conference Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings selected Jones and Slawson in the second round of the NBA draft after trading first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Richaun Holmes to the Dallas Mavericks in a move to clear salary cap space with free agency set to begin Friday. Jones and Slawson will try to establish roles with a team that went to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference under first-year coach Mike Brown.
“Obviously, our focus for the draft this year was to continue to build on last season’s success and find guys that can come in and contribute to the culture that Mike and myself and everybody’s building here, and continue our winning ways and advance in the playoffs,” McNair said.
“So, Colby, obviously, a versatile, unselfish, high IQ winner, two-way player. We’re excited to bring him and his work ethic here to the Kings. Jalen has a unique combination of size, defense, big-time winner at Furman, including a really big win in the NCAA Tournament this year. We’re confident these guys are going to fit in with what we’re building here both on and off the court.”
Jones and Slawson will be featured members of Sacramento’s summer league team beginning next week when the Kings host the California Classic July 3 and 5 at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento traded up four spots to select Jones with the 34th overall pick. The Kings believe they might have found first-round value in Jones, a 6-foot-6, 203-pound guard/forward from Xavier.
“I’m excited to be in Sacramento,” Jones said. “Just came off a great year. I’m excited to get to know my teammates and get to know coach Brown.
“I had a great workout here. I enjoyed meeting all the staff and some of the players when I was working out here, so I knew this was a great spot that I could potentially go to. I knew I was in good standing with the front office and things like that, but I really didn’t know what to expect on draft night.”
Jones is an athletic wing who is fundamentally sound and skilled in all facets of the game. He is a good passer and a strong defender who can take on point guards, shooting guards and small forwards.
Jones averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals as a junior at Xavier. He shot 50.9% from the field and 37.8% from 3-point range but struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 65.3%.
Jones was named National Invitation Tournament MVP after leading Xavier to an NIT championship in 2022. He was a second-team All-Big East Conference selection this season.
Jones’ 3-point shooting improved dramatically from 33.3% as a freshman and 29.2% as a sophomore. If he doesn’t regress, he could become a solid 3-and-D role player in the NBA.
Asked how he can help the Kings, Jones said: “I feel like my overall game, my versatility on both ends of the floor. I’m just going to try to come in and find any way to contribute to the team’s success.”
Sacramento selected Slawson with the 54th overall pick. Slawson is a powerfully built 6-6 ½, 230-pound forward with a 6-11 wingspan. He was named Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and SoCon Player of the Year in 2023.
Slawson averaged 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks as a fifth-year senior at Furman. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds to help 13th-seeded Furman upset fourth-seeded Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Slawson was also asked what he can do to contribute in Sacramento.
“Obviously, (the Kings are) looking for depth at the 4 spot,” Slawson said. “I feel like we play really fast. Coach Brown likes to play really fast and I feel like that’s something I can bring. Be a good decision maker. Obviously, pace. I’m able to run the floor pretty well, be a great athlete and be a versatile defender, too. Those are all things this organization values and things that I do pretty well.”
This story was originally published June 27, 2023 at 1:51 PM.
