Hornets make decision on Kai Jones amid troubling offseason
Jul 5, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Kai Jones (23) dribbles against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The Charlotte Hornets are giving Kai Jones some time to address what he needs to address.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Saturday that the Hornets will have their young big man Jones away from the team indefinitely (with no timetable for his return). Officially termed as an absence for “personal reasons,” Jones will now miss Hornets training camp (but remains in constant communication with the team, Charania adds).
The 23-year-old Jones, Charlotte’s first-round pick in 2021, has made headlines with his bizarre behavior this offseason. Earlier this month, Jones posted a troubling video to Instagram in which he was acting erratically. The strange antics have also continued for Jones in his other social media posts.
We recently heard the Hornets were concerned about the behavior of Jones, an athletic big who has averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game over two seasons of limited minutes for them. While the team already exercised their $3 million option on Jones for 2023-24 long before the trouble began, they are now granting him a bit of time away to work through everything.
