{"id":55462,"date":"2023-09-29T14:01:27","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T18:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=55462"},"modified":"2023-09-29T14:01:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T18:01:27","slug":"nba-rumors-will-kai-jones-remain-a-charlotte-hornet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/09\/29\/nba-rumors-will-kai-jones-remain-a-charlotte-hornet\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: Will Kai Jones Remain a Charlotte Hornet?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charlotte Hornets forward <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/joneska01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Kai Jones<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has left fans confused with his previous social media posts, and they have now caught the team\u2019s attention. It\u2019s led to various questions regarding his status with the Hornets, and whether he will be with them once training camp begins.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/sports\/charlotte-hornets\/article279789404.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> first reported on Jones\u2019s social media posts and the concerning actions that followed:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJones hasn\u2019t participated in any of the players\u2019 optional sessions and it\u2019s unclear if he\u2019ll be among the Hornets\u2019 contingent to hit the floor for the start of training camp next Tuesday. The third-year big man has made some very curious social media posts during the past few weeks, including a couple where called out some of his teammates.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Hornets have currently declined to comment further on the situation:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Steve Clifford said the team isn\u2019t going to comment on Kai Jones\u2019 situation (there has been some bizarre behavior on social media) and it is a matter that is being handled internally.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SteveReedAP\/status\/1706716640203743351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 26, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><b>NBA Rumors: Will Kai Jones Remain a Charlotte Hornet?<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Background<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 19th pick in the 2021 Draft, Jones is entering his third season in the NBA. He is coming off of limited opportunities in the past two years, recently averaging 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds across 46 games last season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His inactivity on the court contrasted with a flurry of activity on social media have been enough to raise eyebrows in the offseason.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kai Jones states his &#39;new version&#39; can match MVP and DPOY levels<\/p>\n<p>He also feels he can take on LeBron and Shaq in a 1v1 and considers himself superior to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AdiuO3nhBf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/AdiuO3nhBf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1702320188665069609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 14, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kai Jones has comments on his teammates Nick Richards and Mark Williams <\/p>\n<p>(h\/t <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClutchPoints?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ClutchPoints<\/a> ) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/u63ypzuTpZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/u63ypzuTpZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1701825479408267573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 13, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Between polarizing statements and criticisms of his teammates, Jones has put himself in hot water with the Hornets organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Where Kai Jones and Charlotte Go From Here<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hoopshype.com\/2023\/09\/27\/kai-jones-future-with-hornets-uncertain\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jones\u2019s recent posts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have caused a rift between himself and his teammates\u2014not a good look for a young player eyeing more opportunities. It\u2019s also far from what a young, developing team needs. Jones is an athletic two-way forward known for his work ethic. However, his issues this summer have led to more questions than answers over his future with the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though next steps are currently unclear, it\u2019s likely that the Hornets will meet with Jones in an attempt to understand the situation and help him correct his behavior. Jones is not the first player whose social media activity has caused concern for his team, but it is the latest example of the need for such team intervention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What becomes of Jones\u2019s actions remains to be seen, but the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/07\/24\/2023-24-nba-power-rankings-offseason-edition-no-30-charlotte-hornets\/\" target=\"_self\"> Hornets<\/a> will have to set him on the right path sooner rather than later. If things take a turn for the worse, there\u2019s a chance Jones could be on his way out from Charlotte. As a result, he\u2019d have a difficult journey ahead of him, as teams finalize their training camp rosters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regarding the Hornets\u2019 center situation, Jones is third on the depth chart behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willima07.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Mark Williams<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/richani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Nick Richards<\/strong><\/a>. Having three young centers in need of development makes for an interesting situation. The fact that WIlliams and Richards were the targets of Jones\u2019s recent criticism complicates tensions greatly. If Jones is not with the team prior to camp, it will open up opportunities for the other two bigs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kai Jones and the Hornets must resolve this situation before the season begins. There\u2019s no denying Jones\u2019s talent on the court, but it has clearly been tarnished with these recent developments. Assuming he faces some disciplinary action, Jones will have to work harder to mend the relationships with his teammates. He looks to help the Hornets as they continue their rebuild.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charlotte Hornets forward Kai Jones has left fans confused with his previous social media posts, and they have now caught the team\u2019s attention. It\u2019s led to various questions regarding his status with the Hornets, and whether he will be with them once training camp begins. Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer first reported on Jones\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":55465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,7,62],"tags":[4278,4044,2978],"class_list":["post-55462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-hornets","category-nba","tag-kai-jones","tag-mark-williams","tag-nick-richards"],"modified_by":"Mike Schretter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}