It was barely 10 a.m. on a Monday in October 2025 when a black Cadillac started weaving through traffic on I-65. The car was clocked at 90 mph in a 55 zone. When an Indiana State Police trooper flashed those red and blue lights, the driver didn't immediately pull over.
That driver? Kam Jones.
The rookie from Marquette eventually stopped near Fountain Square. His excuse was one every person who has ever had a job can relate to: he was running late for practice. Honestly, it was a rocky start for a kid with so much promise. Rick Carlisle basically waved it off as a glorified speeding ticket, but it's the kind of thing that sticks in a fan's head.
Who is Kam Jones and Why is He in Indy?
The Kam Jones Indiana Pacers connection didn't actually start with a draft-day phone call from Indy. Not directly. The San Antonio Spurs actually grabbed him with the 38th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Almost immediately, he was shipped to Indiana in exchange for a future second-rounder and some cash. It was a classic "get our guy" move. Pacers scouts had been seen tracking him since his days at Marquette, where he was a total scoring machine.
We're talking about a guy who dropped 2,044 career points in college. He’s only the second player in Marquette history to cross that 2,000-point threshold, joining some guy named Markus Howard. You've probably heard of him.
📖 Related: What Was the Score for LSU? The Drama You Missed in the Texas Bowl
- Age: 23
- Height: 6'4" (though he measured slightly smaller at the combine)
- The Fit: Shifty, left-handed, and can box (literally, he uses boxing for "killer instinct").
The Back Injury and the "Noblesville Boom"
If you've been checking the box scores lately and wondering why his minutes are so low, you're missing the context. Kam started the 2025-26 season on the shelf. A nasty back injury kept him out of the preseason entirely.
He didn't make his professional debut until December 19, 2025. And it wasn't at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It was with the Pacers' G-League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom.
Transitioning from being "the man" at Marquette to fighting for scrap minutes in the G-League is a brutal reality check. In college, he had the ball 24/7. Now? He's playing off-ball, trying to prove he can defend NBA-level guards who are faster and stronger than what he saw in the Big East.
Is He Actually Playing for the Pacers?
Yes. Sorta.
As of January 2026, he’s been getting some "cup of coffee" minutes. We're talking 2 to 10 minutes a game. His stats aren't going to win him Rookie of the Year—he's averaging about 2.1 points per game. But look at the efficiency. He’s shooting over 50% from the floor in limited action.
The three-pointer hasn't quite come along yet (he’s hovering around 16% in his first nine NBA appearances), but anyone who watched him at Evangelical Christian School or Marquette knows that stroke is real. It’s just a matter of adjusting to the speed of the closeouts.
"Yo Jack... genuinely what was your point of posting this?"
That was Kam on Twitter just a few days ago, defending a former Marquette teammate from a reporter. It tells you everything you need to know about his personality. He’s fiercely loyal. That "power of friendship" vibe fits the current Pacers locker room perfectly.
What Most People Get Wrong
People see a second-round pick and think "roster filler."
That's a mistake with Kam. The Pacers are deep at guard with Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J. McConnell. But McConnell isn't getting any younger, and Kam offers a specific type of secondary playmaking that Carlisle loves.
He isn't just a shooter. At Marquette, his assists jumped from 2.4 to nearly 6 per game in his senior year. He can run a pick-and-roll. He’s not vertically explosive—he had a 31.5-inch max vertical at the combine, which is... okay—but he’s crafty.
What to Watch For Next
If you're a Pacers fan or just tracking the Kam Jones Indiana Pacers trajectory, don't look at the PPG. That’s a trap.
Watch his minutes with the Noblesville Boom. If he starts dominating the G-League and showing that his back is 100%, expect him to see more run in Indy toward the All-Star break. The Pacers need a spark off the bench who can create his own shot when the offense stalls.
📖 Related: New Orleans Saints Stats: What Most People Get Wrong
Next Steps for Fans:
- Check the Noblesville Boom schedule; that's where he's getting his "real" reps right now.
- Monitor his 3-point percentage; if that climbs back toward his college average (36%+), he becomes unbenchable.
- Don't sweat the October arrest; he’s been a model citizen since and is clearly locked into the team culture.
Kam Jones is a long-term play. He’s 23, he’s polished, and he’s got that "killer instinct" from the boxing ring. Just keep an eye on his health. If that back holds up, the Pacers might have found their next great second-round steal.