Santa Cruz Warriors 2017 Season Finale Part 2: Damian Jones Proves D-League Success

In Part 2 of Blue Man Hoop’s Santa Cruz Warriors 2016-17 season finale series, writer Angelo Mendoza sits down with Damian Jones to reflect on his D-League experience.

ALSO: Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Casey Hill comments on the growth and development of Damian Jones.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — I’m not exactly sure when Damian Jones decided to cut his hair. All I know is that one day in the middle of March, Jones decided to do away with his high-top fade and start from scratch.

I asked him about his new cut before his 25-point performance last Friday against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

"“Yeah, so I’m tryna get my afro back,” Jones said, smiling. “I had to start all over.”"

At the time, it seemed like a simple answer for a simple question, and Jones had never really proven the type to talk one’s ear off. I ended the interview there having received a sufficient amount of information from which to build content for this piece.

In hindsight, I feel like nothing truly sums up the 21-year-old’s rookie season quite like his explanation for cutting his hair.

Next: Santa Cruz Warriors 2017 Season Finale Part 1

Selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 30th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, I admit that I hadn’t been incredibly high on the 7-footer. It had nothing to do with his ability, basketball I.Q. or physical tools, however; it simply had to do with the fact I wasn’t a fan of drafting players with pre-existing injuries, and Jones had torn his pectoral muscle in a pre-draft workout.

When Jones was cleared to resume play, Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Casey Hill was clear in driving home the fact that it was gonna take some time for the rookie center to get back into game shape, saying Jones simply needed to find his legs again and get used to the speed of the NBA game.

So, in a way, Jones’s rookie year was never really about preparing him to contribute with Golden State right away like many fans had originally hoped.

Jones’s rookie year had really all been about him cutting his hair, starting over, and getting his fro back.

Asking Jones to reflect on how his D-League experience benefitted his growth as an NBA player both on and off the court, he reminded me that much of his rookie journey had simply been about getting back to where he was before the injury.

"“You know it’s all about finding a routine off the court, and then on the court: it’s just been about getting back to where I was in college, getting that feel back,” said Jones. “So we’re solid now.”"

To say that Jones is solid now would be an understatement. Prior to the All-Star break, Jones averaged 7.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.9 blocks on 51.0 percent shooting; after the break, Jones has averaged 16.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 2.3 blocks on 62.5 percent shooting.

Since the break, the team has looked a great deal more comfortable throwing entry passes to Jones posting up on the low block, and they’ve even lobbed it up to him a few times off the pick-and-roll. His jumpers off the pick-and-pop or as a trailer haven’t looked too shabby, either.

Going into the postseason, Jones is finally able to turn his attention to the future, even hinting at possibly adding a three-point shot to his repertoire.

"“I just wanna be a 2-way player, you know, just like be able to get it done both offensively and defensively,” said Jones. “So I just gotta keep developing the skills that I’ve been working on and see where I go from there.”"

After the team’s final regular season game against the Los Angeles D-Fenders last Friday, Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Casey Hill described the experience of watching Jones “grow from a boy to a man” as “spectacular.”

In my pregame 1-on-1 interview, Hill said the following concerning the development of Damian Jones:

"“Damian Jones has been spectacular. I’ve been saying it since he came here: he just needs to catch up to the game, he needs to get the experience, he needs to get used to the physicality of it; and then his size, his athleticism, his strength will really start to shine through,” Hill began.“And that’s really what happened: he’s gradually developed all year long. It wasn’t like all of a sudden someone flipped the switch and we were like ‘God, this guy’s an NBA player now.’ It’s been a gradual development, which is a hell of a sign for the D-league — a really nice story for the D-league and the development that can happen down here.”"

The D-League can sometimes get a bad rap. There’s been a few cases in which an organization has supposedly “punished” an NBA player by “demoting” them to the D-League. Some fans even see D-League players as being significantly “less skilled” than major league ballers, considering them “unworthy” of finding a home with one of the parent clubs.

But the D-League isn’t a place to punish bad NBA players, and it sure as hell isn’t a league full of players that should be written off and ignored.

The NBA Development League is there to help NBA teams develop fringe NBA players — young guys looking to expand their game and ready themselves for the next level, or even some older players who just need the opportunity to prove they still have what it takes.

Damian Jones personifies the mission of the D-League. He embodies the kind of effect a winning D-league culture can have on young players looking to make the jump to the big leagues. I highly doubt he’ll have to wait long to find a fit in Golden State’s rotation.

All he’s really missing now is the fro.