Brooklyn Nets Sign Dahntay Jones
The successful offseason of Billy King continues with the signing of a journeyman free agent that shows further evidence that the Brooklyn Nets are going to bring their hard hats to the Barclay Center next season and play defense.
The Brooklyn Nets continued to build their team in the image and personality of Head Coach Lionel Hollins by signing free agent Dahntay Jones on Thursday.
Last season, Jones played in 33 regular season games, basically in mop up duty for the Los Angeles Clippers. He posted averages of 0.6 points and 0.3 rebounds in 3.7 minutes. Prior to playing with the Clippers, Jones played 19 games in the D-League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
In 11 seasons in the NBA, Dahntay Jones has played in 622 games, starting 157 with career averages of 5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.7 minutes a game. Looking at these numbers toiling for the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks and aforementioned Clippers, some Nets fans would say the Nets don’t need him.
They would be wrong.
Dahntay Jones will bring some added veteran leadership and toughness. This move is further evidence that the Brooklyn Nets are trying to change the locker room culture that was nearly ruined by Deron Williams and his feuds with, well, almost everyone in his airspace.
Instead of getting a self-entitled aging player that believes he can walk in the door and get minutes, the Brooklyn Nets will be getting a true professional that can really help the Nets this season while keeping the Nets under the salary cap.
Dahntay Jones is not a scorer, but this guy may already be the best on-ball defender the Brooklyn Nets have in the backcourt. At one point Jones got under Kobe Bryant’s skin while playing for the Atlanta Hawks. Bryant landed on Jones’s ankle on a game-winning shot attempt and accused Jones of playing dirty after turning his ankle.
Here’s Dahntay Jones statement about the play during an interview on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” at the time…
“I was trying to play as hard as I could, to compete at a high level, to try to help my team win and contest the jump shot.”
“I didn’t want to give up on the play. I take pride in how hard I compete and not give up on plays, and that all I was trying to do.”
This attitude on the defensive end will endear Dahntay Jones to the defensive minded philosophy of Lionel Hollins who thinks defense first, second and third.
Dahntay Jones will have a chance with this signing to battle for a roster spot against shooting guards Bojan Bogdanovich, Markel Brown and Wayne Ellington.
