Damian Jones (basketball)

Damian William Jones (born June 30, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Jones was selected in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors with the 30th overall pick. He is a two-time NBA champion, having won both with Golden State in 2017 and 2018.

Damian Jones
Jones with Vanderbilt in 2016
No. 30 – Phoenix Suns
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1995-06-30) June 30, 1995
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolScotlandville Magnet
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
CollegeVanderbilt (2013–2016)
NBA draft2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30th overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2019Golden State Warriors
2016–2018→Santa Cruz Warriors
2019–2020Atlanta Hawks
2020–presentPhoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Jones attended Scotlandville Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana[1] where he averaged 15.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, and 2.0 assists as a senior.[2] He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and committed to Vanderbilt University.[3][4]

College career

In three seasons at Vanderbilt, Jones averaged 13.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.69 blocks and 27.2 minutes in 99 games, garnering first-team All-SEC honors as both a sophomore and junior. Jones hit 56.6 percent from the field during his collegiate career, the third-best mark in Vanderbilt history, while finishing second on the school's all-time blocks list (167). As a junior in 2015–16, Jones averaged 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.64 blocks in 33 games, helping Vanderbilt to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011–12.[5]

On April 14, 2016, Jones declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.[6]

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (2016–2019)

While working out with the Orlando Magic in the lead up to the draft, Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle in his right arm, which required surgery.[7] Despite this, Jones was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 30th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.[8] He signed with the Warriors on July 13,[5] and made his NBA debut on December 10 against the Memphis Grizzlies.[9] On February 1, 2017, in his first game for the Warriors at Oracle Arena, Jones scored his first career NBA points in a 126–111 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[10] He appeared in 10 regular-season games and four playoff games during the 2016–17 season.[11] The Warriors were crowned champions in 2017 after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–1 in the NBA Finals. The 2017–18 season saw Jones appear in 15 regular-season games and four playoff games,[12] as the Warriors returned to the NBA Finals, where they won their second straight championship. During his first two seasons, he received multiple assignments to the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State's G League affiliate.[13]

Jones became the starting center for the Warriors in 2018–19, starting in 22 of the Warriors' first 24 games.[14] On December 1, 2018, he suffered a torn left pectoral muscle in a 111–102 loss to the Detroit Pistons.[15][16] He initially was ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair the muscle.[17][18] He returned to action during the Western Conference Finals.[19] The Warriors went on to reach the 2019 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games.

Atlanta Hawks (2019–2020)

On July 8, 2019, Jones, along with a 2026 second-round pick, was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Omari Spellman.[20]

Phoenix Suns (2020–present)

On November 30, 2020, Jones signed a 2-year deal with the Phoenix Suns.[21]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17† Golden State 1008.5.500-.3002.3.0.1.41.9
2017–18† Golden State 1505.9.500-.600.9.1.1.21.7
2018–19 Golden State 242217.1.716-.6493.11.2.51.05.4
2019–20 Atlanta 552716.1.680.222.7383.7.6.5.75.6
Career 1044914.1.666.222.6763.1.6.4.74.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017† Golden State 405.3.429-.5001.5.0.5.31.8
2018† Golden State 402.8.500-.667.8.0.0.01.0
2019 Golden State 414.51.000-.500.5.0.0.0.8
Career 1213.3.500-.571.9.0.2.11.2

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Vanderbilt 312825.7.543-.5455.7.2.31.411.3
2014–15 Vanderbilt 353429.1.562.200.5996.5.7.62.014.5
2015–16 Vanderbilt 333326.2.590.000.5366.91.2.21.613.9
Career 999527.1.566.125.5656.4.7.41.713.3

Personal life

The son of David and Dana Jones, he has two brothers, Darian and Darryl. Jones majored in engineering science.[2]

References
  1. Lopez, Andrew (April 29, 2013). "Scotlandville's Damian Jones and Brian Bridgewater look forward to facing off in SEC". NOLA.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  2. "Vanderbilt bio". VUCommodores.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  3. "Damian Jones – Rivals.com". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  4. Johnson, Raphielle (September 2, 2012). "Four-star forward Damian Jones commits to Vanderbilt". NBCSports.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  5. "Warriors Sign Rookie Center Damian Jones to Contract". NBA.com. July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  6. Sparks, Adam (April 14, 2016). "Vanderbilt's Damian Jones declares for NBA Draft". Tennessean.com. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  7. Herbert, James (June 18, 2016). "NBA Draft 2016: Vanderbilt's Damian Jones has surgery for pectoral injury". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  8. "Warriors Select Vanderbilt Center Damian Jones With 30th Overall Pick in 2016 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 23, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  9. "Grizzlies dominate Warriors for sixth straight victory". ESPN.com. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  10. "Stephen Curry's 3-point clinic leads Warriors past Hornets". ESPN.com. February 1, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  11. "Damian Jones 2016-17 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  12. "Damian Jones 2017-18 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  13. "All-Time NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  14. Slater, Anthony (December 2, 2018). "After Damian Jones' pectoral tear, will the Warriors add another center?". The Athletic. Retrieved December 4, 2018. After two years developing in the G League, away from the spotlight, the Warriors put him on center stage, starting him in 22 of the first 24 games.
  15. "Griffin, Drummond lead Pistons over Curry, Warriors 111-102". ESPN.com. December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018. Golden State center Damian Jones injured his left shoulder in the third quarter and did not return.
  16. "Warriors' center Damian Jones suffers torn left pectoral muscle". NBA.com. December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  17. Murdock, Logan (December 7, 2018). "Damian Jones expected to be sidelined for five to six months". Daily Democrat. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  18. Wojnarowski, Adrian (December 2, 2018). "Warriors' Damian Jones to have surgery on pec, likely out for season". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  19. "Damian Jones 2018-19 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  20. "Atlanta Hawks Acquire Damian Jones From Golden State Warriors". NBA.com. July 8, 2019.
  21. "SUNS SIGN MOORE, GALLOWAY, & JONES". NBA.com. November 30, 2020.
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