Damian Jones
When the Hawks acquired Damian Jones late last summer, it was exciting. While Jones was never a world-beater with the Warriors, he was still young and was coming from a winning environment. The Hawks gave him good minutes early on, but it soon became apparent that Jones was not going to be apart of the core moving forward.
There’s just not much to like about Jones’ game. He can’t really score unless it’s on a wide-open lob, he’s not much of a shot-blocker, he is a below-average rebounder for his size and plays inconsistent, physical defense that often gets him in foul trouble.
Crazily enough, Jones started 22 games for a Warriors team who made the Finals last season and won two rings riding the pine before that. Some Hawks fans (including myself) thought he was primed for a breakout season in a bigger role, and of course, he was not.
Jones soon found himself deep on the Hawks’ bench, out of the rotation at times when they weren’t dealing with injuries. He played 16.1 minutes per game in 55 appearances, averaging 5.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 personal fouls per game.
The Hawks caught him in the final year of his rookie deal, and I’ be very surprised if he’s back on the team next season.
Who do you think underperformed for the Atlanta Hawks most this season?