Sixers’ New Addition Remains Sidelined Due to Injury
The progress of the veteran center Kai Jones has been halted due to a hamstring injury that he suffered playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League last weekend.
Nearly one week ago, the Sixers added Jones with a 10-Day contract. As soon as he signed, the Sixers assigned the big man to the G League for the Blue Coats’ Friday night matchup at home.
On the following night, the Sixers had a game scheduled against Jones’ former team, the Charlotte Hornets. Rather than recalling him for a debut in Philly, the Sixers kept Jones in the G League for another night as the Blue Coats looked to complete their back-to-back set.
Meanwhile, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse noted that the team planned to keep Jones on the developmental squad at the beginning of his tryout with the team. Unfortunately, Jones suffered a setback during his second run with the Blue Coats.
After leaving in the first half of last Saturday’s game, Jones missed the final quarters. Since then, he’s been on the Sixers’ injury report and deemed inactive for the matchups against the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns.
If Jones were to put together a solid stretch with Delaware during his ten-day stint, there was a chance he could land another temporary contract and receive the opportunity to compete with the main roster.
But with an injury currently holding him back, he’s running out of time to state an intriguing case to keep him around for the rest of the year.
In his two showings with the Blue Coats, Jones totaled nearly 50 minutes on the court. He averaged 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while making 60 percent of his field goals.
The Sixers could certainly use more depth at the center position in the absence of Joel Embiid. Jones is an option, but he isn’t alone. On Tuesday, it was reported the Sixers planned to give former Milwaukee Bucks first-rounder DJ Wilson a chance to showcase himself for a ten-day run. The Orlando Magic affiliate could be in the mix with the Sixers shortly after Jones’ short-term run expires.
If the former Charlotte Hornets center is fortunate enough to get healthy over the next few days, then perhaps he could make a strong final case to earn another run with the team. Right now, his recovery timeline is unknown.
