How former Washington State forward Isaac Jones brought his engine to the Motor City: ‘I’m the size of a mold’

July 15—LAS VEGAS – A chartered plane carrying the Sacramento Kings was cruising at 30,000 feet, somewhere between Colorado and California on the night of Nov. 3, when Isaac Jones got a tap on his shoulder.

The Kings, who lost 130-124 hours earlier against the Denver Nuggets, conveyed to Jones that he would be moving on from the former Washington State and Idaho spots to open up a roster spot.

Advertisement

Talk about unexpected mid-flight turbulence.

“That was the hard part, I had to sit there and deal with it on the plane,” Jones said. “I definitely texted my wife. I definitely didn’t sleep that night, I was confused but it’s the nature of business and it happens to everyone.”

The Kings thought highly of Jones during the pre-draft process to offer the 6-foot-9 forward a two-way contract through 2024. Jones continued to create his own value, averaging 21.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in Sacramento’s G League membership, helping the Stockton Kings capture the 2025 G League championship for the 2025 NSEason, and appeared in the regular season tournament of NSEason 2.

Sacramento turned Jones’ two-way deal into a standard NBA contract in March of 2025, signaling that he could be with the Kings long-term, or at least through the 2025-26 season. But eight months later, Sacramento had to vacate a roster spot after signing veteran forward Precious Achiuwa, abruptly ending Jones’ tenure with the Western Conference franchise.

Advertisement

“I was shocked at first, that was hard,” Jones said of getting the news of his dismissal. “It’s a difficult situation, but I looked at it as a new opportunity. I think my time was up, but I knew someone would give me a chance and roll the dice.”

Jones was getting positive feedback from his agents and thought there would be at least one NBA suitor who could use his skills, but he was stuck for 48 hours before anything happened.

“The longest two days of my life, because I was waiting for my phone to ring,” Jones recalled.

Detroit finally called the third day on a two-way contract deal for Jones. On the outside, the basketball fit seemed good. Cultural? Maybe even better.

Advertisement

As a city, Detroit prides itself on qualities such as perseverance, energy and a good blue-collar work ethic. Jones’ game scouting report may include many of the same words.

The native of Spanaway, Wash., was underemployed and working full-time at a plumbing and hardware store near his hometown before landing a spot on the Wenatchee Valley College roster. As he navigated his way through the college ranks, Jones played well enough at the JC level to earn a scholarship to Idaho. He played an All-Big Sky season with the Vandals at WSU, where Jones earned All-Pac-12 honors while leading the Cougars to the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 16 years.

The power forward, physicality and versatility were all factors that attracted Sacramento more than a year ago, but Jones’ engine and car, in the “Motor City” of all places, feel like a match made in heaven.

“They’ve really helped me expand my game a lot and I feel like I fit into what a Detroit basketball player is and what the culture is,” Jones said. “Grit, toughness, physicality, competitiveness and unity.”

Advertisement

Jones had no difficulty adjusting to the field. Playing for the G League Motor City Cruise, Jones averaged 22.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.9 blocks in 29 games, earning G League Player of the Month honors for March and a spot on the All-NBA G League First Team.

Off the court, it’s been a bit of a rough transition. Jones immediately encountered the cold when he arrived in Detroit, facing 10 days of snow in a row. The time change was another challenge. West Coast-based family members often called Jones late at night, keeping the front man awake as he got ready for bed.

“They always call me at 10, thinking it’s normal,” Jones laughed.

Jones now considers him a veteran of the NBA Summer League, where he is currently the oldest member of Detroit’s Las Vegas roster at 26 years old. He made another strong impression in Summer League, averaging 17.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg through four games.

Advertisement

“He’s got to be him, he’s got to be him,” Detroit Summer League coach Steve Scalzi said. “I think we know what he plays, especially coming out of the Sacramento system, I think he’s done well in our system here. We know what he is and he’s tough, he’s tough, he’s athletic, he’s strong, he knows almost everything. I think he’s shown it and he’ll continue to show it more as the week goes on.”

There’s a seven-year gap between Jones and Detroit’s No. 17 overall draft pick Ebuka Okorie — who headlines the Pistons’ Summer League roster — but the two have a connection through their shared experience playing under Kyle Smith, who coached Jones at WSU in 2023-24 and Okorie at Stanford last season.

“It’s good, the way he plays, I’m not surprised that we have the same coaches,” said Okorie. “We talk about it many times during training, just off the field, many different assistants and some of the players that we even played with. It’s very nice to be responsible and to be able to talk about that stuff.”

Jones entered Summer League with two goals in mind: set an example for Detroit’s younger players with his leadership and work to extend his shooting range.

Advertisement

Aside from the leadership point we talked about, just being aggressive, we shot the ball a lot,” he said. “I took 4 3s last game. I’m not known for shooting 3s, but it’s something I’ve been working on since the end of the season. For me to take the next step is important. They really want me to shoot, be aggressive and work defensively.”

It’s been a mixed bag for Jones on the outside shooting front. The forward made 2 of 4 shots from the 3-point line in Detroit’s first possession but missed the next six shots he took over the next three games. Despite that, Jones is still one of the Pistons’ strongest players in Vegas, posting an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double in Wednesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Jones isn’t sure what the Pistons have in store for him next season and indicated those discussions will likely wait until after Detroit’s time in Vegas.

He has already been referred to as more comfortable and relaxed during his third base game in the Summer League – a stark contrast to the nerves and anxiety he felt two years ago when he made his debut for the Kings.

Advertisement

“I bet some of these guys can hear this,” Jones said. “When you go in, you’re afraid to mess up, you feel like everything is under a microscope and you’re playing against such high competition. You have to learn to relax, but this is my third time, I’m comfortable now.”

Jones still attends both of his former colleges in Palouse and has tentative plans to visit Pullman in August for an alumni basketball tournament hosted by Brian Dailey, pastor at Palouse Church of Christ.

Jones was thrilled to see Idaho break through and make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 36 years under third-year coach Alex Pribble, who was hired in Moscow two months before the forward transferred to WSU.

“That was dope. I love the Vandals, man,” Jones said. “It’s a great community over there. I haven’t watched the game, but I’ve been watching the scores. To see where I’ve come and how they continue to grow is great.”