Former Middle Tennessee star Shawn Jones was cut from the Heat roster Thursday. The Hialeah, Florida native signed a non-guaranteed contract with his hometown Miami Heat back in September.
Jones was expected to travel to Memphis in Miami’s final preseason game up until Wednesday, but the former MT forward was a late cut from the roster.
With the 5 p.m. Monday deadline quickly approaching, in which NBA rosters must be trimmed to 15 players, Jones and rookie guards Tyler Johnson and Larry Drew did not make the cut.
The Heat roster now stands at 16 players entering their final preseason game against the Grizzlies.
Jones played four games in the preseason and averaged 16.5 minutes per game. He averaged three points and three rebounds per contest, and ranked fourth on the Heat roster in the preseason with 0.75 blocks per game.
The 6-foot-7 power forward spent time playing for the Los Angeles Clippers in the Las Vegas Summer League after going undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft. During the summer, Jones averaged five points, 5.2 rebounds and 14.4 minutes per game.
The former Conference-USA Player of the Year averaged 13.55 minutes per game during his first two seasons with the Blue Raiders, only starting three games. In his junior year he averaged 21.1 minutes per game while starting 26 of his 34 contests, averaging 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
In his senior year of 2013-2014, Jones broke out by averaging 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. His work garnered a spot on the First-Team All-Conference USA team and as an Associated Press All-American honorable mention.
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