Sacramento Kings rookie Colby Jones looks ‘special’ in preseason victory over Utah Jazz
Kings coach Mike Brown spoke highly of Colby Jones before Thursday’s preseason finale against the Utah Jazz. He had more good things to stay when it was over.
Jones came off the bench to post 19 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals in a 116-113 victory over the Jazz before a crowd of 15,726 at Golden 1 Center. The 21-year-old rookie guard helped the Kings outscore the Jazz 37-28 in the fourth quarter as Sacramento stormed back for its first preseason win.
“Young fella, Colby, he was really good,” Brown said. “Again, I’m loving how he’s making my job harder. I love it. Every time we throw him out there, he just keeps getting better and better and better. … We like to cut a lot in our offense, and he’s got to be the hardest cutter on our team. And he doesn’t just do it most times. Every frickin’ time, it’s a hard cut.”
Brown said Jones was making his job harder because he’s making it difficult to keep him out of the rotation as the Kings prepare to play the Jazz in their season opener Wednesday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Kings felt they were getting first-round talent when they selected Jones out of Xavier with the 34th overall pick in the second round of June’s NBA draft.
Sacramento signed Jones to a four-year, $8.8 million contract, which isn’t typical for a second-round pick. The third year is nonguaranteed and the fourth year includes a team option, but Jones looks like he was worth the investment after five preseason games.
Before the game, Jones told The Sacramento Bee he’s trying to learn as much as possible.
“I feel like I’m learning a lot from the coaches and the players telling me what they see that I can do better, so it’s been going pretty good overall,” Jones said. “I’m having a lot of fun. ... I just want to take advantage of every opportunity that’s given to me. Just want to go out there and try to get a dub to end preseason.”
Brown has been impressed with Jones since training camp began. He was eager to see him in extended minutes Thursday with De’Aaron Fox (rest), Domantas Sabonis (rest), Keegan Murray (illness), Chris Duarte (knee) and Trey Lyles (calf) out against the Jazz.
“As well all know, Colby has done a great job for us out there,” Brown said. “We have a lot of guys we can play, but it’s going to be hard to keep him off the floor, and the neat thing about that is the competition, the real competition. If you’re not getting it done, obviously, there’s somebody else who can come take your spot, and that’s not a threat at all. That’s just what my job is. My job is to put the best five out on the floor based on that situation whenever I can, and if Colby keeps doing what he’s doing, it’s going to be hard to keep him on that bench. So, to see him tonight in extended minutes, whether it’s at the two-guard spot or the backup point (guard) spot, is something I know I’m looking forward to seeing.”
Brown was not disappointed.
Neither was Malik Monk, who had 23 points and eight assists to help Jones bring the Kings back from a big deficit.
“Colby (is) nice and he listens,” Monk said. “Asks questions about anything, don’t get confused, so I think that’s why he’s grasping things real quick. … I just try to be positive and tell him I’m going to find him so he can have his confidence because we’re going to need him at some point this year, so it’s big that he’s showing these signs early.”
Jones made 7 of 13 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. He scored nine points in the fourth quarter, going 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.
“His poise is crazy for a rookie,” Kings forward Kessler Edwards said. “The mindset he has, the attitude he has towards everything, it’s like he’s been in the NBA for a minute. Even just off the court, he’s cool and collected. That’s impressive to see. I wasn’t like that as a rookie, so that’s special.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
