Jul. 15—LAS VEGAS — A charter 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 the shoulder.
The Kings, who'd lost 130-124 hours earlier against the Denver Nuggets , relayed to Jones they'd be moving on from the former Washington State and Idaho forward in order to clear roster space.
Talk about unexpected mid-flight turbulence.
"That was the rough part, I had to sit there and deal with it on the flight," Jones said. "Definitely texted my wife. I definitely didn't sleep that night, I was kind of confused but it's the nature of the business and it happens to everybody."
The Kings thought highly enough of Jones during the pre-draft process to offer the 6-foot-9 forward a two-way contract in 2024. Jones continued to create value for himself, averaging 21.1 points and 6.3 rebounds for Sacramento's G League affiliate, helping the Stockton Kings capture a 2025 G League championship, and appeared in nearly half of the 82 regular-season games for the NBA team.
Sacramento converted Jones' two-way deal to a standard NBA contract in March of 2025, indicating he could be with the Kings long-term, or at least through the 2025-26 season. But eight months later, Sacramento needed to vacate a roster spot after signing veteran forward Precious Achiuwa , abruptly ending Jones' tenure with the Western Conference franchise.
"I was shellshocked at first, that was a little tough," Jones said of getting the news he was being waived. "Tough situation, but I looked at it as a new opportunity. I guess my time was up there, but I knew somebody would take a chance on me and roll the dice."
Jones was getting positive feedback from his agents and figured there'd be at least one NBA suitor that could use his skill set, but he was stuck in limbo for 48 hours before something materialized.
"The longest two days of my life, because I was waiting on my phone to ring," Jones recalled.
Detroit finally called on day three with a two-way contract offer for Jones. On the surface, the basketball fit seemed great. The cultural one? Possibly even better.
As a city, Detroit prides itself on qualities like perseverance, strength and blue-collar work ethic. A scouting report of Jones' game might include many of the same terms.
The Spanaway, Washington, native was underrecruited and worked full-time at a pipe and supply store near his hometown before earning a spot on Wenatchee Valley College's roster. Navigating his way through the college ranks, Jones played well enough at the JC level to land a scholarship at Idaho. He parlayed an All-Big Sky season with the Vandals into an opportunity 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 forward's energy, physicality and rebounding were all traits that appealed to Sacramento more than a year earlier, but Jones' engine and motor, in the Motor City of all places, sounded like a match made in heaven.
"Already they've helped me expand my game so much and I feel like I fit the mold of what a Detroit basketball player is and what the culture is," Jones said. "Grit, toughness, physical, competitiveness and togetherness."
Jones didn't have a hard time adapting on the court. Playing for the G League Motor City Cruise, Jones dominated in 29 games, averaging 22.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.9 blocks, earning G League Player of the Month honors in March and a spot on the postseason All-NBA G League First Team.
Off the court, it was a slightly more difficult adjustment. Jones was instantly met by a cold front when he arrived in Detroit, facing 10 consecutive days of snowfall. The time change was another challenge. Family members based on the West Coast would routinely call Jones late at night, keeping the forward awake when he might be preparing to sleep.
"They're always calling me at 10 thinking it's normal," Jones laughed.
Jones now considers himself a veteran of NBA Summer League, where he's currently the oldest member of Detroit's roster in Las Vegas at 26 years old. He's made another strong impression this summer, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds through four games.
"He's just got to be himself, he's just got to be himself," Detroit Summer League coach Steve Scalzi said. "I think we know what he is especially coming from the Sacramento program, I think he's excelled in our program here too. We know what he is and he is tough, tough, rim-running, dynamic skill set, capable at almost everything. I think he's shown it and he'll continue to show it more as the week progresses."
There's a seven-year age gap between Jones and Detroit's No. 17 overall draft pick Ebuka Okorie — the headliner of 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 great, just by the way he plays I'm not surprised we've had the same coaches," Okorie said. "We talk about it a lot of times during practice, just off the court, a lot of the different assistants and some of the players even we played with together. It's really cool just to have that bond and just to be able to talk about that stuff."
Jones came into Summer League with two specific goals in mind: set an example for Detroit's younger players with his leadership and work on extending his shooting range.
"Besides the leadership point we talked about, just being aggressive, shoot the ball a lot," he said. "I took four 3's last game. I'm not known for shooting 3's, but it's something I worked on since the season ended. For me to take the next step is important. They really want me to shoot, be aggressive and be active 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 opener but missed the next six shots he took in the next three games. Despite that, Jones has still been one of the Pistons' most impactful 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 conversations would probably wait until Detroit's time in Vegas is over.
He's already alluded to being more comfortable and relaxed during his third stint in Summer League — a stark contrast to the nerves and anxiety he felt two years ago while making his debut for the Kings.
"I've bet some of these dudes feel this," Jones said. "When you first come in, you're so scared to mess up, you feel like everything's under a microscope and you're just playing against such high-level competition. You've got to learn to loosen up, but this being my third I'm definitely loose now."
Jones still follows both of his former colleges on the Palouse and has tentative plans to visit Pullman in August for an alumni basketball tournament put on by Brian Dailey, a minister at the 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. "Great community out there. I didn't watch the game, but I was keeping up watching the score. To see when I got there and how they're just continuing to grow is just so cool."
