NBA Summer League: David Jones provides a burst of energy off the bench for the Sixers

LAS VEGAS — For David Jones, this summer is about validating the 76ers’ belief in him.

Jones, who agreed to a two-way contract with the Sixers, was an all-American Athletic Conference selection last season at Memphis.

“I want to show what I did in college,” he said Sunday after practice. “They saw how hard I play basketball every time I step on the court. They gave me the opportunity that I needed, and they won’t regret it.”

The 6-foot-6 forward had three points, five rebounds, and one block off the bench Saturday in a 94-81 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Summer League. That came after he averaged 7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 19.7 minutes off the bench last week in the Salt Lake City Summer League.

“I’m improving my defense every time I step on the court every day, which is a plus,” Jones said, “because I know I’ve got to be a lockdown defender on the next level. And one thing I’ve got to get better at is catch-and-shoot.”

If he continues to display the toughness he provided in college, Jones will be a solid two-way option for the Sixers.

He averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals as a senior at Memphis. The 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic played at DePaul in his first two seasons before transferring to St. John’s in 2022. He then transferred, again, to Memphis before last season.

Even though he was a star in college, Jones is excited to come off the bench this summer.

“Being on a two-way [deal], whenever I get the chance to step in an NBA game, I know I’m probably not going to start,” he said. “And I feel like coming off the bench, whoever comes off the bench, got to bring the most energy, because sometimes the starters probably don’t have the energy the team needs.

“So somebody coming from the bench has got to bring it. So I just try to do that every game.”