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SAN JOSE – Midway through the first quarter of Friday’s 119-105 exhibition loss to the Lakers, Warriors center Damian Jones locked eyes with Stephen Curry on a fastbreak and pointed to the rafters.
Curry, more than 35 feet away, threw a long alley-oop pass behind Jones’ head. No matter for Jones, who reached behind and slammed the ball into the basket.
Less than a minute later, after receiving a screen from Jones, Curry threw another lob high in the sky to the center, who slammed it home once more.
On a night the Warriors needed a tuneup game, Jones, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds, cemented himself in the Warriors’ starting lineup.
“He’ll start opening night,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Jones’ performance Friday night was his last effort in an impressive preseason. In five games, he averaged 9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks. His ability to catch lobs, block shots and run the floor is a perfect compliment to the team’s shooting.
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“It gives you a lob threat,” Kerr said. “When you have shooters on the perimeter who draw a lot of attention, ideally you have a lob threat at the rim to give you more spacing. That’s what DJ does.”
Seeds of Jones’ preseason performance can be traced to last season in the G-League. With six centers on the roster and no playing time to give, Kerr sent the former first-round pick to the Santa Cruz Warriors. In addition to playing time, the team hoped he’d find consistency with his motor. Jones responded, averaging 15 points, and 5.8 rebounds running the floor in coach Aaron Miles’ fast- paced style. In his first scrimmage with Jones, Quinn Cook, then a two-way player, anxiously threw a pass too high for the center – or so he thought.
“Usually I get too excited, and the best lobs are the always a bad pass,” Cook said. “We had a crazy connection the first day. He set the tone early.”
Jones’ trajectory changed in July when JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia were signed away in free agency. With free agent DeMarcus Cousins expected to miss the onset of the season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, the Warriors expected a three-way battle for the center position among Jones, Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney. However, a month after McGee and Pachulia departed, Warriors assistant Mike Brown had a simple declaration for Jones.
“The starting job is there for you to lose,” he said.
“I understood what I had to do for the team,” Jones added. “Just knowing that, not trying to do too much, but also showing that I get the big picture of what I need to be doing on the court.”
The Warriors began to see Jones’ transformation when he returned to Oakland two weeks before the official start of training camp. In informal pickup games, Jones dominated. Gone were the timid attempts that mired his first few years in the league. Instead, Jones displayed a command the team had always hoped for.
“I think Damian’s been one of the best stories in camp for us,” said Kerr. “He’s so athletic, and he runs the floor hard. He’s starting to get a feel for where he’s supposed to be, so we’re really happy.”
Time will tell whether Jones is the Warriors’ long-term option at center, but the next time we see the 23-year old, he’ll be available to catch off the mark lob passes from his teammates next week – as a starter.
“He’s starting to get a feel of where he is supposed to be,” Kerr said. “He made some nice passes, some nice plays, so we are really happy for him.”
