Kam Jones gets to the point (up to a point)

On the tipping point of the second-round draft pick's run of running point

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

With Ray J Dennis and Quenton Jackson both sitting out the fourth and final game of the exhibition schedule in Las Vegas (yes, for some reason, consolation games aren't a mirage and will still be played in Las Vegas), Kam Jones had fuller run of running point for the Summer Pacers, as the 38th overall pick in the draft piloted 15 pick-and-rolls that ended with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while also notching his high water mark in the desert for usage rate (26.9 percent).

At times, particularly during the fourth quarter, it seemed as though that extra burden to create at every turn, whether foisted onto him or perhaps too willingly taken on by him, started to weigh on him. With under six minutes to play, Jones brought the ball up against increased pressure and waited around the logo for Enrique Freeman to trade places with Keisei Tominaga as the screener. When Tominaga blurred in front of the ball from left to right, Jones didn't quite have enough space to reject the pick and cross back to his left, so he pulled up from three to his right without ever having made a pass. Fading with less than five seconds on the shot-clock, the shot didn't even graze the net. Then, after changing ends of the floor to play defense, he stepped up toward the ball and looked exhausted as he gave up an easy back cut. It was a sequence that was Summer League at its most Summer League, but also served as an encapsulation of how, in racking up a double double of 21 points and 11 assists, Jones showed himself to be fully capable of running point -- up to a point.

Play of the Game - Deep pockets

He was in total control at the controls during what was one of the most crucial possessions of the game. After leading by as many as 17 points, the Pacers were trailing by two with less than a minute to play. With Jones as the inbound passer, he sprinted into a hand-off from Freeman at the elbow. When his defender ducked under the entire action, he paused long enough for Freeman to set a screen for him to drive toward the left sideline and then he located the window for the pocket pass, as Freeman screened below and stayed below the switch.

Tie game! To understand why that matters, aside from knotting the game, it bears pointing out that his pocket pass placement hasn't always been quite as on point, when he's attacking in the opposite direction, albeit while presuming that the screener will roll rather than popping.

Likewise, when Freeman has screened for him to attack middle from the left corner out of snug pick-and-roll, he's generally either been forced away from the pick or rejected the pick, leaving the pop as the most likely option.

Freeman has shot 5-of-9 from three at Summer League, but the higher percentage shot is feeding him to score at the rim (ideally, without needing to take two or more dribbles) against a smaller defender -- which means the play that tied the game came together just as was needed for both of them to be special while playing to their specifications.

Player of the Game - Put a spin on it

The offense doesn't always develop in a way that will be that tailored to his strengths. Even so, he still generally tries to strong arm his way to (well) getting his way. As was pointed out in the Summer League primer, Jones definitely isn't a right-hand man. As a lefty, he oftentimes rejects screens to his right, lifting back toward half-court with an exaggerated cross-over to his left, and if he drives right, he typically either aborts his dribble before making a pass or goes into a methodical backdown to spin back to his left for a floater.

Just look at this sequence from the fourth quarter. After bringing the ball up against pressure with his right, he throws the ball to Freeman at the top of the key for a "get" action to get back to his left.

When that gets neutralized, he rejects the screen on his right, crossing back to his left.

Rather than popping as a release valve, Freeman dove into tight quarters at the block with the strong-side corner already filled and didn't get a touch, so Jones ends up reversing course to his right before, somewhat predictably, spinning back to finish with his left.

Jones is a creative finisher with his combination of footwork and soft touch, but there should be some reason to wonder whether he'll still be able to put a spin on attacking right when defenses sit on his counters with help defenders anticipating that turn over his right shoulder.

Granted, one of the stars for the Pacers is known for being right-hand dominant and the other star is kind of known for his spin move, but: 1) It's unfair to make those comparisons, 2) the former, although he tends to bail out of lefty drives too early, is equally adept at making live-dribble passing reads with either hand or creating separation as a shooter from deep in either direction, and 3) the latter turns over either shoulder and is masterful at maintaining a live dribble with his back to the basket. In Vegas, Jones hasn't made many live-dribble passes with his right, and when he has, his delivery hasn't exactly been precise.

That said, when the infrastructure of the offense enables him to move left, as was the case on the game-tying play, there's plenty to like about his ability to get downhill and make plays at different levels, whether with skip passes, pocket passes, or with the indecision created by his lob pass disguised as a floater. In this game, which the Pacers won 91-88, he was capable of getting straight to the point enough, that the broader point about potentially needing to twist and turn his way to get his way didn't factor as much as might be the case once opposing teams are more keen to his player tendencies. Then again, by then, he'll at least have more helping hands, in the way of multiple other more experienced lead ball-handlers, to not only lessen the burden on his left but, hopefully, help him get "right" with more energy in reserve to avoid giving up blowby drives or back cuts at the other end while also not getting blown by in the pecking order by the guards ahead of him who didn't play.