Despite being a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft, former Alabama Crimson Tide SF Herb Jones has quickly established himself as a core piece of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise as well as one of the best defenders in the NBA.
Through three years in the league, Jones has been the definition of reliable as he has just missed 26 out of 246 career games. Of those 220 appearances, he did make he has started just 11 of them which is pretty remarkable for a young guy who was not a lottery pick. Jones averaged 11.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 2.6 apg, but it is the work he does on the defensive end that has made him such a highly regarded player.
Jones’s defensive numbers aren’t super eye-popping as he averaged 1.4 spg and 0.8 bpg, but he is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the league. For his defensive efforts in 2023-24, Jones was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First-team alongside Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. At only 25 years of age, Jones is just scratching the surface of his abilities and will continue to become one of the best defenders in the league.
The 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team:
▪️ Bam Adebayo of @MiamiHEAT
▪️ Anthony Davis of @Lakers
▪️ Rudy Gobert of @Timberwolves
▪️ Herb Jones of @PelicansNBA
▪️ Victor Wembanyama of @spurs pic.twitter.com/Ye6oB0T5VV— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2024
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