The Washington Wizards completely reshaped their roster ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February.
Washington said goodbye to multiple familiar faces including Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valanciunas, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Marvin Bagley Jr., and Johnny Davis. Although seeing players who've been with the team for awhile can be sad, it brought multiple new players to D.C. including NBA champion Khris Middleton and former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
However, the team didn't just bring in experienced veterans, they also took on the contracts of multiple young players within the flurry of deal made. The first name that comes to mind his a first-round pick from last year's NBA Draft, AJ Johnson.
And while the talented guard has shown plenty of flashes since joining the Wizards, the young player who may have shown the most in just one game, is Colby Jones.
Colby Jones impressed in win over the Jazz
Colby Jones was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-6 playmaker averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 36 starts during his final year of college, and he entered the league with many believing he could be a serviceable role player at the next level, and potentially more.
Since being drafted, the Xavier product has primarily served as a depth piece for the Sacramento Kings, where he struggled to get much of any playing time. When the deadline came and the Kings reached out to the Wizards for Valanciunas, dealing away Jones didn't seem to be much of an issue for the front office in Sac-Town.
Washington seemed comfortable to bring in the 22-year-old guard, and in three games with the team, he's already shown why general manager Will Dawkins and head coach Brian Keefe were intrigued at the prospect of keeping him around.
With the Wizards recent injury woes, Jones has finally gotten a chance to show what he has to offer, especially in the last two games, where he's played 25+ minutes in each. The first two outings the guard racked up 2 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. However, on Wednesday against the Jazz, the former second-rounder turned heads with an all-around solid performance.
Jones finished the night in Utah with 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Not only did he show his versatility on both ends of the floor, but the newest Wizard shot 9/11 from field goal range, which included 4 three-pointers (4/4 3PT).
Whether Jones can build off his strong performance is yet to be seen. Regardless, after that outing, it wouldn't be a shock to see Keefe give the guard more opportunity moving forward. Not to mention it has to be a confidence booster for Jones who has struggled to earn minutes at the next level.