Kai Jones Must Take Chances Without Creating Bad Habits

The youngster has to do what he does best instead of forcing things.

It's been an average start to the Summer League "season" for second-year big man and former first round selection, Kai Jones. We've continued to see the flashes of his unreal athleticism put on display with his ability to run the floor and go up effortlessly for dunks. But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for the former Texas Longhorn.

During the team's minicamp and through the first two games of Summer League, head coach Jordan Surenkamp has been playing Jones at the four for the majority of his minutes. They feel that with Mason Plumlee, Nick Richards, and Mark Williams all battling for minutes it would be too much of a logjam for Jones to carve out a role. Not to mention, part of this is likely due to the ongoing situation with Miles Bridges. Assuming he does not return to the organization, the Hornets are going to have to tinker with its starting lineup and rotation in the frontcourt. 

Playing the four isn't completely foreign to Jones as he played a little of it here and there at Texas and during his time in G-League last year with the Greensboro Swarm. But it's not something he's completely comfortable with just yet and it shows. 

One main area of his game that he has worked extremely hard on this offseason has been his ability to stretch the floor and shoot mid-range jumpers and threes with consistency. If he is able to start knocking down those shots with efficiency, it will open up the middle of the floor for LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and others to get pressure on the rim without contest. 

Summer League is the time to try new things and take chances, but you also have to make sure that you don't create any bad habits while doing so. In the team's first game against the Pacers, Jones fell in love with the three ball early and often despite never seeing the ball go through the bottom of the net. He finished the night 0/10 from deep and rushed more than a few of those attempts. 

Sunday night, Jones played more conservatively by not taking a single three-point attempt. He finished the game with three points, five boards, and a block in 19 and a half minutes of action. Now, part of the lack of shots attempts could have something to do with the amount of touches he had on the perimeter or it could have been a part of the gameplan. Either way, the Hornets have to allow Jones to "let it rip" and learn to find a healthy balance of twos versus threes. You don't want him to lose all confidence in his shot because he had one game where he went 0/10. At the same time, you don't want him continuing to shoot three after three if they're not going in. This is the perfect time for Jones to figure out that balance, yet still have confidence to hoist up a three if it's there.

If there's one thing that I've been able to takeaway from these first two outings it's that Jones is certainly a significant step or two further along than he was a year ago, but giving him serious NBA minutes might be a bit premature. I know Hornets fans have been seeing the work he's put in this offseason and want him to see 20 or so minutes per game, but he's got some more developing to do before he's ready to take on that big of a responsibility. The talent is there, he's just raw. He's only 21 and needs time to fully develop.

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