The old saying goes, “Once is lucky, twice is a coincidence, but three is a pattern.” Well, rookie Herb Jones was unlucky, falling victim to second-round stereotypes. Sophomore year Herb Jones was simply snubbed.
Now, for the third season in a row, Jones is a hard-to-ignore problem for opposing teams. With every passing game, the New Orleans Pelicans front office's decision to lock up Jones for the long haul looks all the more brilliant.
The Pelicans' locker room agrees and is getting loud about it. Sure, Dyson Daniels leads the league in deflections, but it is hard to miss Not On Herb's teammates' campaign for Jones to be named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team.
The Pelicans are now 7-4 with Jones in the lineup following a 129-93 blowout home win over the Sacramento Kings. The Alabama alum went off on offense too, posting 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal to outduel Kings All-Star De'Aaron Fox.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green explained the biggest development takeaway about Jones this season.
“The jump that we're seeing is how he is holding his teammates accountable as well. He's getting guys in the right spots. He's being more vocal… He's really our defensive leader.”
James Borrego echoed those sentiments when filling in for an under-the-weather Green last week. Borrego admires how “(Jones) is everywhere, he fuels our defense, he covers mistakes. … He belongs in the DPOY category, he has that type of effect on a game.”
Pelicans, All-Stars heap praise on Herb Jones
Jones and Daniels got credit for holding De'Aaron Fox to zero assists and just 5-of-18 shooting for 14 points in the latest win. The difference of having or missing Jones is obvious to most All-NBA stars.
“He’s just a great defender. You could see his impact today because he wasn’t there in the first game. I really admire that guy,” admitted Luka Doncic following a 131-110 Pelicans win in the NBA's In-Season Tournament.
The first sign of respect from opponents is a lack of even trying to score on Jones. It rarely works out as they planned, even compared to other elite defenders.
The universally respected Jrue Holiday has had to defend 15.8 shots per game (221 total) this season. Jones is 60th in shots defended (13.2 per game) and has the second-best defensive field goal percentage among the top 150 in defensive field goal percentage. Only Jalen Duren causes more missed shots.
Most advanced and hustle stats have Jones near the top of the class. Jones is second overall in contested three-pointers per game and sixth in total charges drawn. Not on Herb will block the longest shots and chase opponents into offensive fouls, sometimes on the same play. It's physics-bending basketball from Jones in every spot on the court, and Green does not plan to change a thing with the defensive game plan.
The groundswell of support for Jones being a First-Team All-Defensive player is getting more attention by the day. Fans, media, and opposing stars like Doncic and Fox are following Larry Nance Jr. and Trey Murphy III's lead:
The Not on Herb mantra is making life difficult for the rest of the NBA.
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