SALT LAKE CITY — Last week, while active for his first game in an NBA arena, Damian Jones noticed something odd: the squeak of basketball shoes, play calls and directives from the bench could all easily be heard.

“It’s different,” Jones said of that game at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where his Santa Cruz Warriors fell to the Long Island Nets in front of a generously assessed crowd of 249. “It sounded like a practice out there.”

It might as well have been. In the wake of five months rehabbing from pectoral surgery, Jones spent five games getting back to playing shape with Golden State’s NBA Development League affiliate. Now, after posting modest per-game averages of 2.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for Santa Cruz, Jones is back with the NBA club.

He is active for the Warriors’ game Thursday night at Utah. If Golden State seizes a commanding lead over the shorthanded Jazz, Jones could make his NBA debut in mop-up duty.

Even a solid outing likely won’t keep him from returning to Santa Cruz. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr expects to send Jones back to the D-League soon so Jones can receive more consistent playing time.

“We just want to get his feet wet,” Kerr said.

Mathew Sumner/Special to the Chronicle

Jones, 21, tore his right pectoral muscle while weight lifting 12 days before going 30th overall to the Warriors in June’s NBA draft. Though he did non-contact work for a month-plus with Golden State before joining Santa Cruz, he had yet to fully participate in a practice.

Jones’ learning curve was steep. During his D-League stint, the Vanderbilt product averaged 4.4 fouls in just 18.7 minutes. He missed all seven of his free throws and shot 38.9 percent from the floor.

Jones’ time in the D-League reminded him to appreciate the NBA’s luxuries. Santa Cruz takes a bus to many games. On a trip to Reno this past weekend, the team bus broke down. A 4½-hour trip ended up taking eight hours.

“It happens, I guess,” Jones said.

Livingston resting: Though he considered resting more of his rotation players Thursday, Kerr opted only to give point guard Shaun Livingston the night off.

“He and Andre (Iguodala) are the ones we monitor more closely,” Kerr said. “We might give (Andre) and Zaza (Pachulia) a night off at some point, but they’re both doing great. The rest of our starters are good physically.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron