Golden State Warriors: Kerr announces Damian Jones to start at center in opener

Steve Kerr told reporters that Damian Jones will start at center for Golden State Warriors in their season opener on Tuesday night.

After a huge performance in the Golden State Warriors preseason finale, Steve Kerr has opted to start Damian Jones at center over Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell. All three seemed to have an equal chance to win the position at the start of the preseason.

Jones 16-point showing during the Warriors last preseason game at home against Los Angeles may’ve been the difference. Coming into the preseason, Kerr announced that he wouldn’t start Green at the five, leaving the position up for grabs.

While many expected Jordan Bell, the second year player with 13 starts last season, to get the node, he showcased far less than Jones in the few preseason games. Additionally, back in late August, Kerr said he “would love” to get a chance to start Jones.

That chance is now, and it’s because of Jones’ excellent play during the preseason. His career certainly hasn’t been an easy one either.

The 6-foot-10 center played three seasons at Vanderbilt and averaged 13.3 points per game. Add in almost seven rebounds and two blocks, and it was clear that Jones has the grit to play in the league.

The Dubs first-round draft pick in 2016, Jones made just 25 appearances during his first two seasons in the league. Scoring just 44 points and accumulating 29 personal fouls, Jones might not have room for error as he’s yet to truly prove he can play at the NBA level.

He’s spent much of his time with the Santa Cruz Warriors developing his offensive game.

With Cousins out, the Dubs, who were one of the league’s worst offensive rebounding teams last season, could use the energy that Jones will bring. That energy will be paramount for Jones as he won’t be seeing too much isolation or offensive opportunity playing alongside the core four.

Jones deserves this opportunity, but if he doesn’t excel, it might be short-lived.