Jemerrio Jones making the most of his chance with the Lakers

For the Los Angeles Lakers, Tuesday’s game at Oklahoma City doesn’t mean much.

The team is just 35-42 on the season and has known for quite some time that they won’t be playing in the postseason.

But for former New Mexico State star Jemerrio Jones, it’s another opportunity to live out his dream.

Jones is looking to follow up a weekend to remember Tuesday night when the Lakers travel to meet the Thunder.

It all began Saturday when news broke that the Lakers were going to sign Jones to a two-year deal with an option for the 2019-2020 season.

Jones had already been playing regularly with the franchise’s G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.

But by Sunday he was no longer in the G-League. Rather, he was on the floor in New Orleans for a brief, but impactful five minutes in the team’s 130-102 victory over the Pelicans.

Jones would record his first basket on a fast break layup off a pass from Rajon Rondo, and the former Aggie would also add a rebound and a steal for good measure.

And now that’s he finally playing under the bright lights, he’s not taking anything for granted.

“I come from nothing, really though,” Jones said in an interview with the South Bay Lakers, posted to Twitter prior to Sunday’s game. “I come from the struggle, so I know what it takes. It took me a lot to get here, so I run with it.”

Jones was named the 2018 WAC Player of the Year and was a double-double machine for the Aggies despite his slender frame and the fact he stands only 6’5″.

He now has to face much bigger and stronger opponents in the NBA than those he faced in the WAC. But he’s not worried about the physical advantages other players might have over him. And that’s because, as NMSU fans know, he’s willing to do the things that many others won’t.

“I don’t just get buckets and the flashy things. I do deflections, hustle, 50-50 balls. I am going to dive for the ball. All the little things you need in a player, I do it,” he said.