Promising Sacramento Kings Forward Predicted To Have Big Season

Players like Fred VanVleet, Ben Wallace, Alex Caruso, Austin Reaves, and John Starks have been so successful in the NBA that it can be easy to forget how hard it is to make it in the NBA as an undrafted player.

While Sacramento’s draft strategy has left a lot to be desired in past seasons, the team has done really well in the undrafted free agent market. Both Keon Ellis and Isaac Jones are expected to see big minutes for the Kings this season after not hearing their names called during the draft.

Ellis has already made a name for himself as an elite perimeter defender and knock-down shooter, and Jones might be next to solidify his place in the Kings’ rotation, according to Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes.

“Jones has a clear pathway to a rotation gig, which would take him from undrafted free agent to lineup staple in the span of a single year,” Hughes wrote.

Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (3) before the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Hughes is right to point out how the changes in Sacramento’s frontcourt should give Jones a ton of opportunity this season. After joining the Kings as an undrafted free agent in 2024, Jones has made massive strides with his game.

The 25-year-old is now on a standard NBA contract, but his path to the NBA has been anything but straightforward. After two late growth spurts, Jones joined a junior college team in Washington after working on a loading dock post graduation. Jones eventually transferred to the University of Idaho before playing out his senior year at Washington State, where he was named first team All-Pac-12 before entering the NBA and landing in California’s capital.

GET UP ISAAC JONES pic.twitter.com/iLTxGEmawj
— 𝚛𝚞𝚗 (@RunWithFox) November 30, 2024

Where Jones Can Already Help the Kings

Let’s start with what Isaac already does really well. With Jones, the biggest asset he brought from day one was his energy. Whenever Jones saw the floor, he would sprint back on defense, hustle for loose balls, and crash the glass better than pretty much anyone else on the roster.

Jones was excellent at using his long wingspan (7’3”) to create second chances and even finished quite a few putbacks on his own.

What Issac added to the Kings right away was something that can’t be taught, and that kind of toughness and grit is something that he brought with him from his days in junior college. In a great story by Tristi Rodriguez at NBC Sports, Jones talks about how he fell in love with the game of basketball.

“JuCo really tested how tough you are as a person. A lot of nights we didn't have money, no food. We used to split sandwiches on the road. It was tough. I fell in love with the game there. It taught me that I actually did love basketball.”

So smooth with it, Isaac Jones 😎 pic.twitter.com/6MAm58EPHl
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 16, 2024

How Jones Can Take “The Leap”

Playing with energy and effort game after game is a great start for any NBA player, however, the league is far too talented to get away with intangibles on their own. Jones has good size and a great wingspan for a modern power forward in the league, but there are very few who earn big minutes in the league without being able to space the floor.

Even if Jones becomes one of the best vertical threats in the league, this current Kings’ roster needs shooting out of the four-spot. Jones shot it well last season at 37.5%, albeit on incredibly low volume. He also struggled from deep with the Stockton Kings last year, shooting just 26%.

If Jones is able to shoot around league average on much higher volume, he might be the long-term answer for the Kings next to Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis.

Isaac Jones from the corner: pic.twitter.com/mAPSMVF6HU
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) October 3, 2025

Another area where Jones can take a huge leap is with his passing. I doubt anyone expects Jones to be the playmaker that Sabonis is, but connective passing and taking care of the ball are incredibly important in the modern NBA.

In fact, the only three forwards that played at least 20 minutes per game and appeared in 50+ games with less than a one-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio were Jaren Jackson Jr., Zaccharie Risacher, and Kyle Kuzma. Jones had just a .78 assist-to-turnover ratio in Stockton and wasn’t any better with the Kings. Getting that ratio much closer to 1:1 will make it easier for Doug Christie to play Jones heavy minutes and keep him on the floor in crunch time.

Regardless of where Jones’ game is when the season starts, he should be in line for the majority of the backup four minutes and should even see some time at the five spot.

If the G-League and Summer League are indicators of what is to come for Isaac, fans should be pretty excited for him to get a real opportunity, and they will get their first taste when the Kings kick off their preseason campaign this week.

Where Jones Can Already Help the Kings

How Jones Can Take “The Leap”

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