Portland Trail Blazers swingman Derrick Jones Jr. is flying all over the place during their matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
Jones submitted his first entry for Monday's highlight reel with a vicious denial of Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
The high-flying Jones came from behind and jumped through the rafters to pin Aldridge's attempt against the glass. The Blazers swingman was not even at the apex of his jump when he made the block, but his head was at the rim.
Airplane Mode DEACTIVATES the attempt! š«@trailblazers on NBA LP pic.twitter.com/G2bXhKaT2d
ā NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2021
Moreover, this was not the only display of Jones' tremendous athleticism. He also threw down a ferocious, two-handed jam during the third quarter.
āļø pic.twitter.com/9jJzg1NHc2
ā Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) January 18, 2021
Basketball fans are well accustomed to Derrick Jones Jr.'s high-flying exploits, even before his move to the Blazers. After all, he is the reigning Slam Dunk champion, albeit in somewhat controversial fashion.
Portland signed DJJ during the offseason in order to provide added depth on the wing. The 23-year-old has struggled to shoot from the perimeter throughout his career, but he is a strong cutter who makes plays at the rim. More importantly, Jones uses his length to play the passing lanes and disrupt the flow on the other end of the floor.
Unfortunately, Jones has not had the kind of transformative defensive impact the Trail Blazers were hoping for when they signed him away from the Miami Heat. Portland came into Monday's game ranked 25th in defensive rating, and Jones had a negative defensive box-plus minus.
Still, explosive plays like his swat and dunk make Jones a real asset for the Blazers as they hope to climb their way up the Western Conference standings.
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