Dominique Jones spent three years in the NBA, all as a part of the Dallas Mavericks. In his brief time in the NBA, he got the opportunity to play a small role in the Mavs’ best season in franchise history to earn himself a ring. Even though his time in the league came to an end a decade ago, Jones has continued to show fans overseas that he still has what it takes to be on the court.
College Years
Jones attended college at the University of South Florida where he played on the men’s basketball team for three seasons.
Jones immediately entered the starting lineup upon his arrival to the team. He started in all but one of the team’s 95 games during that three-year span he was on the team.
Jones put up 18.9 points per game (PPG), 5.4 rebounds per game (RPG), 3.5 assists per game (APG), and 1.5 steals per game (SPG) during his time at USF. His numbers improved year by year, and by his junior season, he was putting up a team-leading 21.4 PPG.
USF missed out on March Madness in all three of Jones’ years on the team.
In his final year at USF, Jones was named to the All-Big East first team.
Jump into the Deep End of the NBA
Jones was drafted 25th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2010 NBA Draft. His player rights were immediately moved on draft night to the Mavericks.
He started the season on the Mavericks’ main roster before getting sent down to Dallas’ D-League team, the Texas Legends, on November 30, 2010. He eventually was called back up in early January 2011.
In his first season in the NBA, Jones took part in only 18 games, all off the bench. He managed to average 2.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, and 0.3 SPG in a little over 7.5 minutes per game played (MPG).
The Mavericks finished the season third in the Western Conference with a 57-25 record. Unfortunately for Jones, a stress fracture kept him out for a good part of the season and he didn’t participate in the Mavs playoff run.
In the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks took down a skilled, young Trail Blazers team that consisted of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. In the Western Conference Semifinals, Dallas swept a Kobe-led Los Angeles Lakers team. They weren’t done with their reign of dominance just yet, as they took down a young and skilled Oklahoma City Thunder team that consisted of three future MVPs: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
In the NBA Finals, the Mavs faced off against a former Finals rival, the Miami Heat. The Mavericks were seen as the underdogs since they had to face off against Miami’s newly formed Big Three: Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. At the end of a hard-fought six-game series, Dallas came out on top and won their first-ever NBA Championship in franchise history. Even though Jones didn’t get to participate in the playoffs, he still accomplished a dream many basketball players have, winning the NBA Championship.
Final Seasons with the Mavericks
In his second year with the Mavericks, Jones again spent time on the NBA roster and in the D-League. He did get more playing time than in his rookie season, even earning himself the start in one game.
Jones’ numbers stayed fairly similar to his rookie season numbers. He averaged 2.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, and 0.3 SPG in a career-high 33 appearances.
The Mavericks finished the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season as the seventh seed in the West. Dallas’ playoff luck from the championship season didn’t transfer over to the 2012 playoffs as they were quickly swept in the first round by OKC. Jones didn’t participate in any of the Mavs’ playoff games.
In Jones’ third year with the team, his numbers continued to grow, but not fast enough for the Mavs as the 2012-13 season would be his final one with the team.
He averaged 4.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 0.5 SPG in 29 games played, three of which were starts.
For the third straight year Jones split time between the main Mavs roster and the D-League.
Jones didn’t get the opportunity to finish the season with the Mavericks as he was waived by the team on March 9, 2013.
In his three years with the Mavs, Jones averaged 3.1 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 0.4 SPG in 80 appearances.
Time Between the NBA and Overseas
10 days later he was acquired by the Springfield Armor, the Brooklyn Nets’ D-League team at the time. In nine games played with the team, Jones averaged 15.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.9 APG, and 1.9 SPG.
He played for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2013 Summer League but never played a regular season game with the team.
In September 2013, Jones went overseas and joined the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). During the 2013-14 season, he put up 24.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.4 APG, and 2.6 SPG in 34 games played.
The following season he signed with the Jilin Northeast Tigers of the CBA. He put up an impressive 37.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 8.3 APG, and 2.7 SPG in 38 games played. This wouldn’t be the last time in his career that he would drop 30+ PPG as this season marked the beginning of Jones’ prime years.
At season’s end, he joined the Atenienses de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He only took part in three games with the team where he average 7.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.3 SPG.
He returned to China during the summer of 2015 and signed with the Shanxi Zhongyu of the CBA. His points skyrocketed back up to 30+ PPG and he showed that he’s going to be dominating the league for a while. In 18 games played, Jones put up 32.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 7.4 APG, and 3.0 SPG.
The following season he had another 30+ PPG season with the Qingdao Eagles of the CBA. Jones posted 30.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.2 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 37 appearances.
In the summer of 2017, he participated in The Basketball Tournament as part of the Tampa Bulls, a team consisting of USF alumni. They made it to the Sweet 16 round before getting eliminated by the eventual winner, Overseas Elite. Jones led the team in scoring with 28.3 PPG.
In August 2017, Jones switched teams again, this time joining the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings of the CBA. He only took part in 14 games with the team before getting waived in December of that same year. Even though he was waived by the Monkey Kings, he still put up an impressive stat line of 28.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 1.0 SPG.
The following season he returned to the Northeast Tigers, where he’s spent the past five years playing.
In Jones’ past five seasons with the Northeast Tigers so far, he’s had two seasons where he’s dropped 37+ PPG, a career-high 38.2 PPG in the 2020-21 season, and a career-high 61 points in a game against the Monkey Kings on December 31, 2022.
During his current tenure with the Northeast Tigers, Jones has averaged 31.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 9.0 APG, and 2.2 SPG in five seasons.
Legacy
Even though Jones’ NBA career didn’t go as planned he still earned an NBA championship ring with the Dallas Mavericks, a dream for many young basketball players. Jones had some of his best years in college and has taken his game to a whole new level in recent years while playing overseas in China. Although he was not the most memorable NBA player, Mavs fans will never forget the 2011 championship roster.
Categories: Mavs Fans For Life, Mavs From the Past
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