The New York Knicks' newest player is Dillon Jones, the 24-year-old 2024 first-round pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder. They signed him to a two-way contract when the team finished practicing on Tuesday, filling the spot that opened up when they waived Tosan Evbuomwan ahead of his contract guarantee date. The Knicks technically selected Jones, but OKC traded five second-round picks for him on draft night. He had seven points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in his first game with the team, a 114-104 win for the G-League's Westchester Knicks over the Windy City Bulls.
Jones stuffs the stat sheet in G-League debut for Knicks
While the newest addition to the Knicks' roster didn't have a great shooting night, making just two of his eight field goal attempts, he showed the kind of chaotically productive play that might remind some fans of Josh Hart.
Most of Jones' misses were from downtown, with the wing making just one of his seven heaves. He also led the team in turnovers with five; Kevin McCullar Jr., for example, had just two turnovers compared to his eight assists. But the team won Jones' minutes by two points and lost McCullar Jr.'s by one.
Single-game plus-minus in the G-League is no great indicator of anything, really, but the point is that Jones' high-effort play was fittingly volatile for the level of play but also demonstrative of the exact kind of fight the Knicks need at Madison Square Garden.
Players like Hart, Landry Shamet, Deuce McBride, and Mitchell Robinson have arguably been some of the most important for the team this season, putting their bodies on the line and playing with a true indifference toward their stat lines. They just want to win games.
Jones played 54 games in his rookie season with the Thunder, averaging 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 10.2 minutes. He shot just 38.3% from the floor, 25.4% from behind the 3-point arc, and 60.7% on free throws. It was clear that he wasn't ready for a consistent role in the rotation of a contending team.
That might leave some fans asking why the Knicks would scoop him up, but it's much different to add a player on one of your three two-way spots than it is to trade five second-round picks to select them in the first round of a draft.
Oklahoma City decided that moving on from Jones would be the best path forward for both sides, but it doesn't mean that New York can't allow the still-young wing to develop with their Westchester affiliate.
It'll be interesting to see how Jones settles into his new role with the Knicks' G-League squad, especially alongside some of the team's intriguing young talent like Ariel Hukporti.