The Golden State Warriors' signing of Andrew Bogut makes even more sense now. Young center Damian Jones likely won't return at any point this season, including the playoffs, due to pectoral surgery:
Damian Jones out doing a workout on the court today, but Steve Kerr still says he is “doubtful” to return at any point in playoffs. Tore his pec a few months ago.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 7, 2019
It's easy to lose the needle that is Damian Jones in the haystack that is the Warriors' talent. However, he had a role and played it well. The 23-year-old center was a big body who gave them solid minutes every chance he got.
Jones appeared in 24 games this season, getting 17.1 minutes a contest. He averaged 5.4 points on 71.6 percent shooting and 3.1 rebounds per game. These averages might not seem like much, but with all the scorers around him, Jones' contributions were still important. He also added a block per contest, giving the Warriors some rim protection.
Golden State is fine at the center position for the time being. They have Kevon Looney as the backup to DeMarcus Cousins, who's trying to work his way back to prior form. Of course, Andrew Bogut will be joining the team soon enough as well.
While having Jones available would be nice, this is a much better decision than rushing him back just to play a depth role. A torn pec is no laughing matter, and rushing him back could just make things worse.
The 23-year-old has a bright future ahead of him, and it would be a shame to see it all thrown away because the Warriors wanted someone to eat a few minutes off the bench.
Hopefully, Damian Jones can return completely healthy to start next season.
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