The Tigers’ leading scorer from last season has found a home in the NBA.
Former Memphis star David Jones, who wasn’t selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, has signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to multiple reports.
The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 21.8 points (7th in Division I), 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game in his only campaign under head coach Penny Hardaway. Jones also shot 45.9% from the field and 38% from 3-point range. Those numbers helped him become a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, which goes to the country’s best small forward, and an Associated Press (AP) All-America Honorable Mention among other various accolades.
The Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament despite Jones’ stellar play, though. After starting the 2023-24 season with a 15-2 record and a No. 10 ranking in the AP Top 25, they went just 7-8 in their final 15 games—most of it against lowly American Athletic Conference (AAC) competition—and got utterly embarrassed by Wichita State in the second round of the AAC Tournament on March 14.
The Dominican Republic native declared for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility on April 20, but he ultimately passed on another season with the Tigers to officially turn pro despite a poor showing at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
Jones, whose official listed height is 6-foot-6, measured in at just 6-foot-3 1/2 without shoes to start the week-long event. He also received a mediocre 6-foot-7 wingspan.
He didn’t perform much better when squaring off against his fellow combine attendees, averaging just 6 points and 3.5 rebounds on 30% shooting in his two scrimmage opportunities. Jones’ team lost both games by an average 11 points.
Jones’ underwhelming performance at the combine seemingly reaffirmed his status as a borderline second-round to undrafted prospect, so a return to Memphis looked like his best developmental and financial option. But the 22-year-old instead hopes to beat the odds and try his hand at professional basketball next year.
He’ll presumably join the likes of Duke’s Jared McCain (Philadelphia’s first-round pick), UCLA’s Adem Bona (Philadelphia’s second-round pick) and others on the 76ers’ NBA Summer League roster next month.