re: Herb Jones

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On Herb Jones: “The former SEC Defensive Player of the Year is allowing just 0.548 points per direct isolation possession, second in the NBA behind only Kevin Durant, according to Second Spectrum.”

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“To be great on defense, you have to really want it,” Jones told The Athletic. “You have to play with a different kind of aggression, a different kind of desire. I take pride in always being the guy who’s ready to lay it all out there for my teammates. That’s what I care about the most.”

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Jones, whose favorite player growing up was former Grizzlies defensive specialist Tony Allen, was mostly an afterthought coming into the season as a 23-year-old rookie second-round pick from Alabama. After the Pelicans took him 35th overall in July’s draft, he came off the bench for their NBA Summer League squad in Las Vegas, and expectations were predictably low at the beginning of the regular season. But the longer he spent around the team, the more Pelicans players and coaches took note of his presence.

Fellow rookie Trey Murphy III gave Jones the nickname “Straitjacket” after his defensive performance in summer league. During voluntary workouts in Nashville over the summer, several members of the team marveled at the way Jones defended different matchups and raised the intensity of scrimmages whenever he was on the floor.

“He was blocking shots on the perimeter, jumping passing lanes all over the place,” Pelicans assistant Fred Vinson told The Athletic. “After Nashville, we knew he was going to be a player. We didn’t know if he would contribute immediately. But we knew he had a future.”

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And despite being a rookie, it seems as if he’s always one step ahead when the game is moving at warp speed. He currently leads all rookies in deflections (57) and steals (29) and is second among rookies in blocks (12). In the past three games, he’s racked up a total of 11 steals and joined Chris Paul as the only rookies in franchise history with 3-plus steals in three straight games.

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It’s been shocking to see how much more competent the Pelicans (5-17 ) have looked whenever Jones is on the floor. New Orleans has a defensive rating of 104.3 when Jones is on the court, which would be equivalent to a top-5 unit. When he isn’t out there, the Pelicans’ defensive rating drops to 114.4, just slightly better than Memphis’ league-worst mark.

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“It’s all about your mentality. Whoever the team needs me to guard, I’m willing to take that on with no fear,” Jones said. “Whether it be a Trae Young or a Julius Randle, if my teammates believe in me to do it, I’ve got to do what I can to prove them right. I just look at (my opponent) as another player.

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Does he not go by Herb? Someone needs to let everyone in the Pelicans media and Joel and Antonio Daniels know as well.

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