When healthy, the Houston Rockets have a significant number of established veteran guards, headlined by the likes of John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon, Ben McLemore, and Sterling Brown.
Even so, undrafted rookie Mason Jones is giving head coach Stephen Silas something to think about, when it comes to rotation minutes.
In Saturday’s blowout win by the Rockets at Dallas, Jones had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 19 minutes. The 6-foot-4 guard made 6-of-8 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 (75.0%) on 3-pointers.
Houston was +16 in the 19 minutes that Jones played Saturday, representing the second-best plus/minus figure on the entire roster. Jones found his way into the rotation thanks to the absence of Oladipo, who sat out for maintenance on night two of a road back-to-back.
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For the season, Jones is shooting 57.4% overall and with a blistering 58.3% clip from 3-point range. Per 36 minutes, he’s averaging 23.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Those are the types of numbers that can make a case for more playing time, even if the competition is steep.
After Saturday’s game, Silas was asked what Jones had shown him, and whether the rookie might be a rotation candidate moving forward — even when all the veterans are available. Silas responded:
He’s showing me he’s ready. He’s a confident kid, and he should be. That’s why he’s good, because he’s confident. He’s not afraid of the moment, at all. He can get us organized, bring the ball up the floor, run plays, and score the basketball.
To have a young kid who can come in and not be afraid of the moment, especially in times where like tonight where he had to come in and really solidify us, or not allow the score to go down… that’s a tough position to be in as an undrafted rookie. But he’s not afraid of the moment, at all. I trust him.
It’s a good problem to have. We do have a bunch of guards, so there will be times he’s kind of in and out of the rotation. But this time has shown me that he’s ready when I need him.
Stephen Silas on Mason Jones (@masonjones2): "He's a confident kid, and he should be. That's why he's good. He's not afraid of the moment, at all."
"That's a tough position to be in as undrafted rookie. I trust him. This time has shown me that he's ready." #Rockets pic.twitter.com/TQfnpJPLRp
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) January 24, 2021
The next game for the Rockets is Tuesday versus Washington, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center in Houston. With all five of the veteran guards expected to be healthy and available, the path for Jones to earn playing time would seem to be more difficult.
Nonetheless, the University of Arkansas product will be ready if his number is called — as he’s been for the entire 2020-21 season to date.
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