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Lakers Rumors: Latest Contract Buzz on Mason Jones and Jemerrio Jones
December 21, 2021
The Los Angeles Lakers are missing some key players. Anthony Davis is out with a left knee injury, while others such as Dwight Howard and Talen Horton-Tucker have been out because of the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Not only that, but Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is also out because of the organization's coronavirus outbreak. So Los Angeles has been trying to get through this difficult period with enough players to compete and with other coaches needing to fill the void.
Now, the Lakers are bringing in some players to help make up for the holes on their roster.
Los Angeles signed forward Jemerrio Jones on a 10-day hardship exemption, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The Lakers also signed guard Mason Jones to a two-way contract, per Charania.
Jemerrio Jones has only six games of NBA experience, but that came when he played for the Lakers during the 2018-19 season. He averaged 4.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest during that limited action, all of which came from March 31-April 9, 2019. He even made a pair of starts during that stretch.
However, the 6'5" Jones was traded from Los Angeles to the Washington Wizards in July 2019, in a three-team trade that also included the New Orleans Pelicans. That was the same deal in which Davis came to the Lakers and Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart went to the Pelicans.
Since then, the 26-year-old has been playing in the NBA G League. He's played in 11 games this season for the Wisconsin Herd (the Milwaukee Bucks' affiliate), averaging 6.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. He has 112 games of G League experience over the past four seasons.
Mason Jones' 32 games of NBA experience all came during the 2020-21 season when he played for the Houston Rockets (26 games) and the Philadelphia 76ers (six games). He averaged 5.3 points per contest.
The 23-year-old shooting guard has been playing for the South Bay Lakers (the Lakers' G League affiliate) this season. In 12 games, he averaged 17.8 points, 7.1 assists and 6.5 rebounds per contest.
It's possible that both Joneses will provide valuable depth to Los Angeles while it remains short-handed because of the numerous players out because of health and safety protocols. And Davis won't be back anytime soon, as the team announced he'll miss at least four weeks.
The Lakers have lost two straight games to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls, dropping their record to 16-15. They'll be looking to get back on track when they host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.