LOS ANGELES – The Clippers have signed guard Dahntay Jones to a second 10-day contract.

Jones was signed to his first 10-day contract Jan. 14 and has played sporadically in four games, but his value to the Clippers has been in helping improve the chemistry of the bench since he came to the team, according to Clippers coach Doc Rivers.

“We’re going to keep him,” Rivers said. “He’s been great for the young guys, for Austin [Rivers] and C.J. [Wilcox] already. He’s a veteran. He’s happy to be here, and he has a toughness about him as well that I think will be good for us.”

With Jones, 34, and Austin Rivers, 22, on the team, the Clippers have not only won three games in a row, but the bench has been far more engaged in the game; standing up and cheering after big plays and running out to greet the starters on the court during timeouts. It’s little things, but things that were not really seen before Jones and Rivers arrived.

“You can clearly see that the bench is alive, and that is nice,” Doc Rivers said. “That has not been the case all year, and you can just see the guys enjoying each other as a group, and that is good; playing well helps, too. Even in the Cleveland game, we did not play that great, but I thought our bench was live. It is good that our bench guys are cheering for the starters, and the starters are cheering for the bench guys. It is called growth, and that is great for our team.”

Jones’ second 10-day contract will expire after the Clippers play the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 31 in the midst of their upcoming eight-game road trip. Rivers was previously inclined to look at several players for 10-day contracts and keep their roster spots open for players who may become available after the trade deadline, but Jones’ impact on the bench and team could lead him to keep him for the rest of the season.

“I have to lose myself in this team and do whatever they need me to do, whether that's cheer on the bench, go in and play defense, talk through everything with guys, whatever we need to do,” Jones said. “If I lose myself in that overall goal, then I'll be successful, and I'll have a chance to stay on the team longer. But if I worry about my individual game, that's not going to work out for anybody on this team.”

Jones’ contributions off the court haven’t gone unnoticed. He joined fellow reserves C.J. Wilcox, Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis and Austin Rivers at a local charity event Friday despite being the only one on the team without a contract beyond this month.

“Those are the type of guys you need,” Blake Griffin said. “That's the type of guys that make the chemistry of the team go from good to great, and take it to another level.”