Marquette's Kam Jones picked at No. 38 by Indiana Pacers in second round of 2025 NBA draft
Kam Jones committed to Marquette in June 2020 despite never visiting the school because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The underrated recruit stuck with the Golden Eagles when a coaching change brought in Shaka Smart less than a year later.
Four seasons and 2,044 points later, Jones left MU as a future NBA player.
The 6-foot-5 guard was picked at No. 38 by the Indiana Pacers – via a trade with the San Antonio Spurs – in the 2025 NBA draft on June 26.
Jones was in the green room at Barclays Center in New York with his parents and MU head coach Shaka Smart.
"I'm just ready to get to Nap Town and get to work," Jones said on the ESPN broadcast.
Kam Jones is second on Marquette’s all-time scoring list
That prolific scoring puts Jones at No. 2 on MU’s career scoring list, behind only Markus Howard.
Jones’ ability to get buckets is what made him an NBA prospect.
He shot 59.3% on two-pointers – with most coming near the basket – despite not having elite athleticism.
He shot 40.6% on three-pointers as a junior playing alongside Tyler Kolek, who is now with the NBA’s New York Knicks.
That shooting from behind the arc dipped to 31.1% last season, but he was in a different role. Jones impressed NBA scouts by taking over point guard duties from Kolek and handing out 200 assists against 63 turnovers.
Jones joins Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro and Olivier-Maxence Prosper in NBA
Smart and his coaching staff pride themselves on development.
The results are hard to argue with, with Jones becoming the fourth NBA draft pick over the last four seasons at MU.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper was picked in the first round in 2023. Kolek and Oso Ighodaro were second-round selections last year.