Golden State Warriors Rumors: Dubs To Assign First Round Pick Damian Jones To Santa Cruz


The Golden State Warriors first round selection Damian Jones is expected to make his professional debut soon. However, it reportedly won’t be with the NBA club.

Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Gate is reporting that the Warriors plan on sending Jones to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League on November 20. The 7-foot center is expected to make his professional debut against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on November 25. Letourneau said the plan is to have Jones make his NBA debut shortly thereafter.

The Vanderbilt product underwent surgery for a torn right pectoral muscle in early June. He has not seen any game action since being selected with the No. 30 overall pick in this year’s draft. Jones was cleared for non-contact activity in October.

Jones is big, long, athletic, and possesses quick feet. The 21-year-old has some nice post moves and a nice mid-range jumper. He has also been working on his perimeter shooting. Jones is very raw and needs to work on the defensive end though he is an adequate shot-blocker.

Jones was an early draft entrant. He averaged 13.9 points, on 59 percent shooting, to go with 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots as a junior. Jones also finished second in Vanderbilt history with 167 blocked shots.

When Jones does get recalled, he will likely not get much action despite the center position being the weakest area of the team. Golden State currently has three veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. Zaza Pachulia has started all nine games at the five position this year. Anderson Varejao and JaVale McGee are the other two true centers.

[Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

Pachulia has a high-motor and has done a nice job on the glass, grabbing 5.8 boards a game. He is a good passer out of the high post but is not much of a scorer. Varejao has played very sparingly as has McGee. Varejao does the little things well and is an excellent rebounder. McGee adds athleticism and a shot-blocking component to the position.

Golden State (7-2) is able to get away with such poor production from the center position due to the versatility of David West, James Michael McAdoo, Kevon Looney, and Draymond Green.

Santa Cruz Warriors

Santa Cruz opened its season by falling to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the affiliate of the Lakers, 116-114 on Saturday night. Veteran NBA point guard Phil Pressey led the way for the D-League Dubs with 25 points, on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He also added six rebounds as well as five rebounds.

[Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

Pressey is one of four players on Santa Cruz’s roster that was with the Warriors during training camp. Forward Scott Wood, guard Cameron Jones, and forward Elgin Cook are the other three players that were in camp with the Parent Club Dubs. Wood, Jones, and Cook combined to tally 48 points — each player finished with 16 points apiece — to go along with 17 rebounds and seven assists against the D-Fenders. The trio shot 41.3 percent from the field (18-of-43) and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Jones, Cook, Chris Obekpa, and Wood are affiliate players of the Warriors. Meaning they can only be called up by Golden State unless traded or released.

Santa Cruz has four post players on their roster: Dennis Clifford, Obekpa, Ferrakohn Hall, and Jaleel Roberts. Clifford, Obekpa, and Roberts are NBA prospects. Clifford is a seven-foot-one center who has some nice low-post moves and can extend the defense with his shooting. The Boston College product is a good rebounder, passer, and shot-blocker. He would rather play on the perimeter on offense than in the post.

Obekpa is very athletic who provides outstanding rim-production. The six-foot-nine, 22-year-old is a physical defender and outstanding offensive rebounder. His offensive game needs work.

Roberts was selected by Santa Cruz in the second round of the D-League draft. The seven-foot center was in training camp with the Washington Wizards last season and the Milwaukee Bucks this year.

The rest of the Warriors roster includes forward Mychel Thompson, Klay Thompson’s older brother, guard Terrence Drisdom, guard Alex Hamilton, and forward Keith Steffek.

Santa Cruz won its first D-League title as an affiliate of the Warriors in 2014-15. It was their second ever D-League title as they earned a chip in 2007.

[Featured Image Mark Humphrey/AP Images]

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