What we learned as Jones, Timme power Kings’ emphatic win over Jazz originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Colby Jones scored 15 of his 25 points in the first half, and the Sacramento Kings rolled past the Utah Jazz 82-70 in a 2024 NBA Summer League game Monday at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
Mason Jones added 13 points, nine assists and four steals. Isaac Jones had six points and seven rebounds to round out the Jones-dominant game.
Drew Timme poured in 19 points and had five rebounds and four assists.
Colby Jones is trying to gain a firmer foothold on a roster position after playing in 30 games for Sacramento during the 2023-24 NBA season. Mason and Isaac are under two-way contracts next season.
The Kings will definitely be looking to add some depth to their backcourt. First-round pick Devin Carter is likely to miss the start of the 2024-25 season after having surgery in his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum. The team has said it will update Carter’s status in six months.
Colby Jones could be a key part of Sacramento’s fill-in plans until Carter is ready to come back.
Sacramento, as a whole, looked a lot more comfortable and confident after getting rocked by the Memphis Grizzlies in a Summer League game on Friday.
The Kings scored the first 14 points of the game, led 21-4 in the first quarter and got up by as much as 26 before cruising the rest of the way.
One of the Sacramento’s best plays of the night came early in the fourth quarter when Drew Timme – who had uneven games for the Kings in the California Classic, made a sweet bounce pass through traffic to Colby Jones, who scored and was fouled.
Here are takeaways from Monday’s game:
Defense Sets The Tone
Mike Brown loves to stress the importance of defense and he had to like what he saw from the Kings Summer League squad a few days after they didn’t offer much resistance in a 20-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Sacramento forced 26 turnovers that led to 19 points while holding Utah to 19-percent shooting. (4 of 21) behind the arc.
The Kings set the tone early when they limited the Jazz to just nine points on 4 of 13 shooting (30.8-percent) while forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter. Sacramento failed to convert the majority of those turnovers into points but the activity on that end was definitely a good sign.
Utah’s offense looked better and was more efficient after halftime, but the damage by the Kings had already been done and the Jazz couldn’t really make much of a game of it.
Ball Movement
Sacramento did a good job all night finding an open shooter. The Kings got the ball going in the transition game and moved the ball around nicely in the half-court.
The Kings dished out 24 assists on the 33 field goals they made.
Considering that most of these guys haven’t been playing together very long, the fact that had that kind of cohesion and communication speaks very well toward the players as individuals and to the job that coaching staff has done getting them prepared.
Cooking With Colby
Jones had a smooth shooting rhythm and was dicing up the Jazz defense most of the night, exactly the type of game that should be expected by a player with a handful of NBA-level experience under his belt.
Jones scorched the Jazz for 15 points in the first half, scoring from all over the court. He was successful in creating his own shots and had an overall air of confidence every time he took a shot, finishing the night 10 of 21 shooting.
It was a nice bounceback for the 22-year-old Jones, the 34th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Jones was shut down in last Friday’s 103-83 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring only two points while going 0-for-3 behind the arc.
There is still some uncertainty whether or not the Kings will hold onto Kevin Huerter, but if a move is made it would open a spot in the backcourt. Jones may not be the guy to fill the void by himself but he can definitely be a working part in the solution.
NBC Sports BayArea
