After trading out of the first round last week to recoup their 2026 first-round pick, the Indiana Pacers added a second round pick (No. 38) in this year’s NBA draft to go along with the No. 54 selection they already had.
With that No. 38 pick, the Pacers took Marquette guard Kam Jones.
“I’m just ready to get to Naptown and get to work,” Jones told ESPN’s Monica McNutt after being selected.
Jones is a player capable of handling the point beyond Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell who could still serve a purpose after Tyrese Haliburton returns from his Achilles injury. Jones fits that bill, having operated both as a shooting guard next to Tyler Kolek and then a starting point guard at Marquette.
Jones can create off the bounce for himself or for others, and is an excellent passer and rim finisher. He averaged 17.2 points per game as a junior, but then as a senior Kolek went to the NBA, Jones averaged 19.2 points and 5.9 assists per game, career-highs in both categories. The 6-4, 185-pounder is a strong defender, willing to pick up ball-handlers full-court, and he averaged 1.4 steals per game as a senior.
Here’s what to know about the Golden Eagles guard:
Kam Jones measurables
Height: 6-3
Weight: 202
Age: 23
Wingspan: 6-6
Kam Jones stats
He averaged 19.2 points per game, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game this past season for Marquette, while shooting 48.3% from the field. He struggled from behind the arc last season (31.1%), but shot 40.6% from 3 as a junior.
Kam Jones scouting report
∎ He was ranked the No. 35 overall prospect by The Ringer:
“In a world where everybody needs well-rounded guards who can just play basketball, he’ll always have a home.
“Jones exploded out of the gate this past season and then cooled a bit as time rolled on, ultimately finishing at just 31.1 percent from 3. That said, he did enough in years one through three at Marquette to keep him in consideration, especially once you take note of the fact that his overall percentage this past season was largely torpedoed by an increase in dribble pull-up 3s. Tyler Kolek’s table setting and Oso Ighodaro’s screening and short-roll playmaking both moved on to the NBA last year, eliminating two avenues of easy-peasy offense for Jones. As a result, the decent but not spectacular athlete had to take tougher shots and was depended on significantly more as a playmaker. With NBA talent around him again, Kam projects as a plug-and-play older guard who can chip in sparingly somewhere in an extended rotation.”
∎ Yahoo! Sports ranked Jones as the No. 43 overall prospect.
“Jones offers crafty combo guard skills with advanced shot creation and a blossoming playmaking feel. But his so-so athleticism and streaky shooting paint him as just a cog rather than the rare star upperclassmen set to enter the league.”
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