Herb Jones is Violence and Speed

Week 4 recap: Herb Jones changes the equation

James Borrego took the helm during the Pelicans’ Tuesday night outing against the Dallas Mavericks while Willie Green was sidelined with a non-Covid illness. After losing 5 in a row, the Pelicans trounced the Mavericks en route to a 21 point victory counting towards in-season tournament standings. Borrego took to the locker room after the game and announced that the team played with “violence and speed”. There is perhaps no better personification of violence and speed on the basketball court than Herb Jones.

It has been three games since Jones has returned to the starting lineup, and the Pelicans have gone 2-1 in those games. The one loss was a narrow defeat to the Timberwolves after holding a 4th quarter lead. In those three games, Jones has tallied a whopping 10 steals and 5 blocks. Herb has been everything, everywhere, all at once. On the season, Jones is 93rd percentile in block rate and 95th percentile in steal rate. Only two players are averaging more thefts per game than Jones, and neither is blocking shots the way he is.

Some of these plays are downright rude. Herb has no regard for careless ballhandlers and isn’t afraid to tell you either. It’s through this vicious defense play between him and his partner Dyson Daniels, that the Pelicans have sustained a garbage time removed ORTG of 123.9 over the last 3 games. At a glance, lineups that feature Daniels, Jones, Ingram, Williamson, and Valanciuanas feature zero credible shooters. However, the Pelicans are number one in transition points as well as efficiency in these past three games. Roughly 18% of their offense is coming from transition opportunities - good for 3rd in the league, and they are scoring at an absurd 164.7 points per 100. If you can’t shoot, then run - and Herb Jones is the center of it all.

The turn and gun style of play has also unlocked a great deal of creativity from Jones as a passer. Not only does Herb have an uncanny ability to get to the rim and draw fouls in transition, opponents selling out now have to account for his passing. Herb has tallied 16 assists in the three games he has been back, after not recording over 3 in any of the previous outings. His assists have featured a variety of transition, half-court, and connective dishes. He simply moves the ball and makes the right decisions over and over again. Check out some of these feeds.

The Pelicans have smartly put Herb Jones in more on ball situations. As a shooter, teams might be able to help off him, but putting Jones on the ball forces teams to step up, lest they cede the drive. The quick decision making combined with an offense that emphasizes player movement has put Jones in a position to slice defenses up. The team is truly trying to squeeze every drop of offense out of the lineups they have available, and Jones has responded magnificently.

As of this moment, Jones is posting career high across to board in every category. The Pelicans prudently moved to secure him to a 4 year deal this past summer, and it is paying dividends already. Currently the team is 6-4 with Jones in the lineup, 0-3 without him. The samples are still small, but it could not be more evident that Jones is instrumental in the team’s success. As I’ve noted repeatedly on this subby, the more shooting there is on the roster, the more valuable guys like Herb become. And Herb Jones is already incredibly valuable.