As the Philadelphia 76ers continue rolling through their preseason, the team's NBA G League affiliate in Delaware made a transaction to acquire the rights to Dillon Jones. Currently, Jones is competing with the Sixers in training camp and the preseason.
When the former first-round pick joined the 76ers ahead of training camp, he signed a non-guaranteed deal. Clearly, Jones has done enough for the 76ers to want to keep him close, even if he doesn't get a chance to stick around in Philly on a two-way deal.
According to an official announcement from the Delaware Blue Coats, Jones' rights were acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers' affiliate, along with a draft pick. The Blue Coats are parting ways with Dmytro Skapintsev's rights and Max Abmas' rights.
A preview of Jones' value
The 76ers just opened up their preseason against the New York Knicks on Monday night. With several key players out, that opened up an opportunity for some of the depth guys to acquire more minutes. For Jones, he knew the opponent well, as he was facing his former club.
The Sixers rolled out Jones for 18 minutes. He shot 3-for-6 from the field, and knocked down one of his two shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, Jones went 4-for-4. He finished the game with 11 points. In addition to his scoring, Jones came down with six rebounds, dished out two assists, and turned the ball over once.
It was a quality first showing for Jones on the 76ers, and one worth jotting him down as a player to keep an eye on for the remainder of the schedule. On Thursday night, the Sixers will pay a visit to the Brooklyn Nets. That game will serve as a chance for Jones to possibly see a slight dip in minutes, but still show what he can do in limited time. That's more of a realistic scenario for Jones if he were to gain regular-season minutes beyond the G League right now.
Keeping him close
Jones is battling for a two-way spot, but his chances certainly took a hit this week as Ariel Hukporti's injury raised a red flag on the big man position. The 76ers have two traditional big men on standard contracts behind Joel Embiid, with Tacko Fall on a camp deal. Bona is currently recovering from a foot injury, while Hukporti is going to spend the season recovering from a torn Achilles.
Never say never for Jones on the two-way front, but know that if another organization doesn't scoop him up, he has a good chance at staying close in Delaware. The Sixers have found plenty of success in recent years, finding impressive two-way talent with the Coats. Jones is clearly leaving some level of impact on the organization through his first two weeks of camp.
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