Isaac Jones, WSU and Orting HS product, joins NBA’s Kings for good

There’s something about the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and ties to the Evergreen State.

During this season alone, the Kings have added a head coach and two players who have Puget Sound connections. Actually, make that three players with their latest move: converting Isaac Jones’ two-way contract to a standard contract for two years.

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Jones, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward, joined the Kings franchise on a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent last year following a first team All-Pac-12 season with the WSU Cougars. He has impressed this season in G League play with the Stockton Kings, averaging 20.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per game in 11 games.

The 24-year-old Jones has actually played more in the NBA than the G League as a rookie, averaging 3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 8.3 minutes in 31 games with Sacramento.

SacTown Sports: Kings’ Isaac Jones expresses gratitude for standard contract

A native of Spanaway, Wash., who attended Orting High School, Jones took an unconventional route to beginning his career. He took a job following high school at Puget Sound Pipe and Supply in Kent, but after a year – and growing an additional three inches (and eventually five) from his high school playing days – he was convinced by a former teammate to return to basketball in the community college ranks with Wenatchee Valley College.

Jones impressed with the Knights, taking Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors in his second year at WVC. That earned him a spot with the Idaho Vandals, where he won the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year award and was named second team All-Big Sky in 2023. He moved a few miles west back over the Washington-Idaho border to Pullman the following year, helping WSU end a 16-year drought to reach the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Jones with the JAM.@_ijonez x @WSUCougarsMBB pic.twitter.com/Ha7YN3ey4i

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2024

With the Sacramento Kings, Jones plays under head coach Doug Christie, a Seattle native who is a Rainier Beach and Mark Morris High School (Longview) product. He’s also playing alongside two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, a Renton native who starred at Bothell High School. Christie took over as interim head coach in December, and LaVine came to Sacramento as part of a big three-team deal ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February.

More: LaVine joins fellow Seattle area native Christie’s Kings

The Kings roster also includes former UW Huskies star Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and former Gonzaga standout Domantas Sabonis, a three-time All-Star. It’s actually a ankle sprain to Sabonis, a 6-10 forward/center, that opened the door for Jones to join the Kings full time.

The Kings (35-35) have a big next couple days as they’re set to host the defending champion Boston Celtics (52-19) at 7 p.m. Monday, then take on Western Conference champ Oklahoma City (59-12) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a game that will air on TNT, truTV and the Max app.

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