Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. That’s what the Philadelphia 76ers are doing with their team right now.
Philadelphia 76ers Kai Jones Deal
The Philadelphia 76ers are signing former Charlotte Hornets first-round pick Kai Jones to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Shams Charania of The Athletic is also reporting the news.
Only 10 games? Well, it is the end of the season, so this is a trial run and, or a last-stitch effort to end the season on a high note.
Jones, age 23, was the 19th pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Hornets. Charlotte traded a future first-rounder to the New York Knicks to get the pick used to snag Jones. But, things didn’t go as planned. Jones only played 67 games and totaled of 613 minutes during his first two seasons in the NBA. So, the Hornets released him last fall.
Jones wasn’t with the team during training camp for personal reasons. His social media accounts got pretty wacky during that timeframe, too. Finally, he took to social media to say that he had requested a trade. So far, Jones has averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds during his time with the NBA.
Philadelphia started out the season strong, but they’ve sunk into the play-in mix in the Eastern Conference standings. The team is also awaiting the return of their superstar player, NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who is healing from a knee injury. The team really relies on him, as they’re 26-8 for games when Embiid plays this season and 10-22 when he’s not on the court.
The 76ers are currently the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a 36-30 record in 66 games. Last season, the 76ers fell to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
In other news, during the latest 76ers win, forward Tobias Harris had a strong fourth quarter showing. It didn’t go unnoticed. His performance in the fourth quarter caught the attention of Nick Nurse. He said he loved the energy, especially since Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez were guarding him.
“Yeah it was, because it didn’t feel like he was not getting many opportunities, no great looks, but he took it with some assertiveness and was turning the corner and he had Giannis on him to boot,” Nurse said after the game (via SI.com). “So he was getting to some good places and vaulting up and knocking them down, it was great to see.”
We’re getting into the final stretch for the NBA regular season. The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament is set for April 16 through 19. The NBA teams who end the season between the No. 7 and No. 10 in the standings will play in the tournament. Also, the winners will be the last sides to get in the playoffs. The first round of the NBA playoffs begins on April 20.
The NBA conference semifinals will start May 6-7. However, they could be played in May 4-5 if the series ends earlier than expected. Meanwhile, the conference finals are expected to start May 21-22. Those dates could be moved up to May 19-20.
Finally, the 2024 NBA Finals are set for June 6.
Did you know the Detroit Pistons are improving towards the end of the season? Find the latest on the Detroit team here.