NEWSLETTER
Carlik Jones clearly made an impression on Arturas Karnisovas in Summer League.
According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, 24-year-old guard Carlik Jones has inked a training camp deal with the Bulls. Jones spent most of last season with the Texas Legends of the G-League before participating in Summer League with Chicago this summer.
Jones scored at least 17 points in two of the Bulls’ five summer league contests this year while also dishing 9 assists twice. Standing just six-foot-one, his size undoubtedly presents an obstacle when it comes to carving out an NBA role, but he’s still managed to impress when playing for the Legends in the G-League.
Jones averaged an eye-catching 22.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.8 rebounds over 16 G-League performances last season. His efforts were enough to earn him two 10-day contracts in the NBA – one of which came with the Denver Nuggets and one with the Dallas Mavericks. With the potential tools to become a sparkplug reserve, I don’t mind the decision by Karnisovas and Co. to get an even closer look at him in training camp. Not to mention, this contract should give the franchise first dibs at signing him to the Windy City Bulls, which is always a plus.
I should mention, though, the Bulls have yet to fill one of their two-way contracts this offseason, and the availability of the other is up in the air with rookie Justin Lewis out indefinitely. While I do find it hard to believe this guard-heavy roster would give a spot to the six-foot-one scorer, Jones will have a chance to prove he’s worth the gamble at camp.
