INDIANAPOLIS -- Taylor Jenkins didn’t wait long to make clear what he’s seen from Kam Jones.
As the Indiana Pacers wrapped up preseason play against the Milwaukee Bucks - a division opponent with several familiar names on the roster, including former Pacers Myles Turner, Caris LeVert, Kameron Jones and assistant coach Johnny Carpenter - Jenkins took time before the game to talk about the young guard’s progress.
“I've been very impressed with Kam,” Jenkins said. “Got a little dose of him out in Summer League.
He's been very intentional about his work all summer long. I was talking to him the other day and I love the growth he's shown on the offensive side of the ball.”
For Jones, this preseason has meant something he didn’t have last year: a real chance to get on the floor from the start. A back injury kept him out until late December a season ago, so simply being healthy early has already changed the picture for his development.
That showed up in Chicago earlier this week, when he scored 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting in 22 minutes against the Bulls. He was mostly looking to score in that one, finishing with one assist and three turnovers, but Jenkins still came away encouraged by the performance.
“Being more of a playmaker, a decision maker, being confident in the reads out there,” Jenkins said. “We're trying to keep things simple. I think he's attacking it and he had a really good game the other night in Chicago.”
The Bucks’ roster gives Jones plenty of competition in the backcourt, and Jenkins made it clear that offense alone won’t get him on the court. The defensive end is the hurdle he has to clear.
“His defensive presence, the requirement it's going to take for him to eventually be on the floor for us it has to be on the defensive side,” Jenkins said. “It's full-court pressure, on-ball defense and guarding different matchups. His help defense (and) his communicating are coming into form with a new coach and new system, but we're very impresed.”
Jenkins also pointed to the effort Jones has shown throughout the summer, saying the guard has handled the work the right way and brought energy to every step of the process.
“Dude loves to compete,” Jenkins said. “I think he plays the right way and he's been a great teammate. Hopefully he can continue to build on that as he heads into year two.”
Jones, the former No. 38 overall pick by Indiana, is trying to carve out a place in Milwaukee after struggling to find one with the Pacers. He has already earned praise for his team-first approach across two franchises in less than two seasons, and now the next step is turning that into a lasting NBA role.
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