If fans of the NBA and USA men’s basketball weren’t aware of Carlik Jones before Saturday, they are now. Playing for South Sudan, Jones had a magnificent performance and nearly helped pull off one of the biggest upsets in international play history. Team USA pulled out the one-point win, but Jones’ outing may have put him on the radar with some NBA teams. It now seems as if they won’t have a lot of time to decide before his NBA window is closed for next season.
NBA Teams Won’t Have Long To Pursue South Sudan Star
Carlik Jones Definitely Raised His Stock In The Eyes of NBA Scouts
It has been stated ad nauseam how stacked a roster Team USA has. It has even drawn comparisons to USA’s Dream Team of 1992 which made scrap work of its opponents en route to a gold medal. While Team USA lost Kawhi Leonard due to injury (replaced by Derrick White) and Kevin Durant missed the South Sudan game, their roster was still quite formidable.
Meanwhile, South Sudan fielded a roster without a player currently on an NBA contract. Bol Bol had been announced as out for the Olympics due to undisclosed personal reasons. The 26-year-old Jones did not seem to mind the seemingly wide talent difference between the two teams. Jones finished the exhibition against Team USA with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. It was the first time ever someone recorded a triple-double against Team USA. South Sudan was a +14 in his 32 minutes, but Team USA took advantage of the time he was on the bench.
Will the historic contest help Jones earn some type of NBA contract? According to Marc Stein, NBA teams don’t have long to decide. On his Substack, he stated that league sources have told him NBA teams would have until Thursday to make a choice on him before his contract with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia goes into effect.
Had A Cup Of Coffee In The NBA
Jones previously had a cup of coffee in the NBA receiving minimal time for three different teams. The six-foot-one Jones played a grand total of 12 games in the league. This came after he went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. After playing his first three college seasons with Radford, Jones transferred to Louisville as a senior.
In December of 2021, Jones joined the Dallas Mavericks on a 10-day deal. After appearing in three games for them, Dallas did not bring him back once his contract expired. Soon after, he signed a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets. He would play in just two games for them. In the 2022-23 season, he signed a two-way deal with the Chicago Bulls. He’d play just seven games for Chicago. His NBA career consists of 12 games where he totaled 24 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Eleven of those points came when Jones was with Chicago in a game against the Detroit Pistons.
Last season, Jones played for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China. While he made very little impact in the NBA, he certainly did in the G League. Jones was named the G League MVP for the 2022-23 season.
