OKLAHOMA CITY -- With 6:10 remaining in a tight road game, against a potential playoff opponent Tuesday night, the strangest sight occurred.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr summoned Damian Jones.
The same Damian Jones who had played all of 40 minutes, stretched over 10 games, this season for the Warriors.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The same Damian Jones who, coming off a truncated rookie season, spent most of the past five months toiling at G-League Santa Cruz, playing in 45 games, trying to develop his skills.
That Damian Jones.
And the 7-foot center flourished, making key plays down the stretch of a 111-107 win over the Thunder.
“It’s the coolest thing when you see a guy put so much work in and get an opportunity and take full advantage of it,” said Quinn Cook, who played 29 games for Santa Cruz. “For him to be in a game with us, late-game situation, playoff atmosphere says a lot about coach’s confidence in him and our confidence in him.
Golden State Warriors
“He played his butt off. He should be extremely proud of himself.”
In six fourth-quarter minutes, Jones was 3-of-3 from the field and held his own against OKC’s brutish Steven Adams.
“He was great tonight,” Kevin Durant said. “He made the big layup in the fourth, finishing over the top of the rim. He was great defensively. He was talking. Hopefully, he continues to build on that get more minutes.”
Jones played a total of 14 minutes, finishing with 8 points on 4-of-4 shooting, two rebounds and a blocked shot. He finished plus-9.
“We knew we were going to play him because we only had 10 guys,” Kerr said. “It was a night to play everybody, to find minutes. And we wanted to see him against Steven Adams. It’s a hell of a matchup, as tough as it gets. But Damian’s got the size and athleticism to play that kind of role.
“So we gave him a few minutes, he played well and we stayed with him.”
The Warriors drafted Jones on the first round (30th overall) in 2016 out of Vanderbilt. He sustained a torn right pectoral muscle in pre-draft workouts and underwent surgery, which cost him the first half of his rookie season. He didn’t make his NBA debut until Jan. 22, 2017, playing only seven minutes at Orlando.
Having played a total of 85 NBA minutes last season, Jones is considerably more seasoned as a G-Leaguer.
“It was good to have that opportunity to go out there and try to work on the stuff that I’ve been working on all year,” he said. “Just being able to stay disciplined through it all, just going on there and playing basketball.
“It’s definitely a confidence builder. I’m just trying to build off that.”
Jones, a Vanderbilt product, is intriguing because of his length (7-4 wingspan), athleticism and high character.
Mostly, though, it’s because of his athleticism.
“He’s a freak of nature,” Durant said. ”He’s fast, he’s tall and he’s super-athletic over the top of the rim. Playing in the G-League definitely helped with his confidence and his rhythm and just knowing what we do as a team.”