C's getting last look at Jones with preseason winding down

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Celtics coach Brad Stevens has indicated we’ll see more of Perry Jones III with the preseason winding down. Still, there’s a growing sense that the 6-foot-11 forward’s time as a Celtic may be coming to an end soon.

Boston has 16 players with guaranteed contracts – one more than the NBA maximum allowed - with Jones being the last player added to that mix.

The Celtics rolled the dice on the fourth-year forward, hoping he would play up to or near the level he displayed coming out of high school or where he was at to start last season in Oklahoma City when he was filling in for an injured Kevin Durant.

Instead, he showed flashes of strong play but not nearly enough to turn any heads among the coaches or the front office.

Jones has appeared in two games for Boston, averaging 2.0 points, 1.5 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game.

A right knee injury set him back just before he left with the Celtics for Europe earlier this month. And the death of a family member forced him to return to the United States prior to the two-games overseas were complete.

That said, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens remains a fan of Jones’ game.

“The biggest thing for Perry is Perry has a chance to be a very, very good multi-positional defender,” said Stevens who added he can also play off close-outs, make shots or post switches. “Being able to do those things really is a huge key. I’ve been impressed with what Perry can do, and what he has done in practice.”

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