Now that the Sacramento Kings 2024-25 NBA Season is behind us, it is time to take stock of the players we have on the roster heading into next season. To do this, we need to discuss how they looked this year and how they can build on it in the future. So, over the next couple of days, we are going to go over each key returning player for next year and assign them a grade for their production in 2024-25.
Now, without further ado, let the grading begin.
Isaac Jones 2024-25 Season
Few players can say they have had as hard of a journey to the NBA as Isaac Jones. After completing high school, Jones had no college offers. He worked at Puget Sound Pipe & Supply in Kent, Washington, where he packaged and sold bathroom and water pipes.
However, through hard work and determination, Jones found his way to Wenatchee Valley College before transferring to the University of Idaho, then Washington State. Even then, Jones didn't hear his name called when he entered the 2024 NBA Draft. So, he had to sign a two-way contract with the Kings.
Jones was able to make the most of his opportunity, parlaying his two-way deal into 40 NBA appearances in his rookie year. In those chances, Jones averaged 7.6 MPG, 3.4 PPG, and 1.4 RPG on 67.8% true shooting. That alone is enough to earn Jones a passing grade. But how much more than that does he deserve?
The things you want from a player of Jones' archetype include being able to space the floor, attack closeouts, and defend (especially around the rim).
Jones hit 37.5% of his threes, but he attempted eight shots from beyond the arc. That's hardly enough to consider him as a shooting threat. He only took nine field goal attempts off drives (per NBA.com), but he did 73.3% of his shots around the rim, which shows some promise in that category (per Dunks & Threes).
On defense, impact metrics don't love Jones (18th percentile Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus). However, he did finish in the 82nd percentile in block rate.
Overall, these indicators are a mixed bag. They are enough to keep people curious about Jones but far enough to say that this was a Keon Ellis-level find by the Kings (at least, not yet).