Carlik Jones, Bulls Taking Part in 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the NBA's 2022-23 regular season now in the books, the 2023 iteration of the NBA Playoffs are about to begin. But first, we have the NBA Play-In Tournament to determine the final two seeds of each conference.

While the NBA Playoffs will have a larger Louisville presence than the NBA Play-In Tournament, it isn't completely lacking of former Cardinals. This year, point guard Carlik Jones will be helping the Chicago Bulls try and clinch one of the final spots for the postseason.

Former Louisville players Donovan Mitchell, Montrezl Harrell and Damion Lee already punched tickets to the NBA Playoffs with their respective teams, which begins later this week.

As for the NBA Play-In Tournament, that kicks off on Tuesday, but Jones and the 10th-seeded Bulls won't see action until Wednesday, Apr. 12. They'll be taking on the ninth-seeded Toronto Raptors, with tip-off coming at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The loser of this showdown will see their season come to an end, whereas the winner will go on to face the loser of Tuesday's matchup between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Apr. 14. Whoever wins then will officially clinch the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and will open up the NBA Playoffs against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

Jones spent most of the 2022-23 season under a two-way contract with Chicago, but signed a regular contract with the organization in early March. He's made seven appearances for the Bulls this season, totaling 20 points, 5 rebounds, six assists and two steals over 56 minutes played.

While the 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard spent most of his time in the G League this season, he made the absolute most of his time there. Playing for the Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls' G League affiliate, Jones averaged a G League-best 26.1 points in 24 regular season games. He also averaged 7.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 36.0 percent on three-point attempts.

(Photo of Carlik Jones: David Yeazell - USA TODAY Sports)

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