He had already been one of the heroes of the South Sudan during the last World Cup (20.4 points, 10.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds) and, Saturday against Team USA, Carlik Jones was once again heroic. Author of a triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists), he almost led his selection to the biggest victory in its young history, but LeBron James ultimately decided otherwise.
Nevertheless, the performance of the South Sudanese point guard could potentially reopen the doors of the NBA for him. “Reopen”, because he has already been in the United States from 2021 to 2023, playing only about ten games in Dallas, Denver and then Chicago, but shining especially in the G-League, where he was named MVP a year ago.
Problem: If Carlik Jones wants to return to the Major League after a stint in China, he will have to act quickly because his new contract with Partizan Belgrade includes an NBA clause that will expire on July 25, specifies Marc Stein. This leaves him only three days to find a franchise and break his lease with the Serbian club…
A strong leader and scorer, the former Louisville resident must now prove that his physique (1m85) is not a hindrance in a league where players of his size are not very numerous.
