Why it could be hard to take Jones Jr. out of the rotation. And Heat turnover issue solved?
It has been quite the two-week stretch for Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr.
One game, the defensive assignment is 6-8 Wizards forward Rui Hachimura and 6-3 Wizards guard Bradley Beal. Another game, it’s speedy 6-1 Hawks guard Trae Young. Then Jones was asked to switch between the Lakers all-world duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. And in Saturday’s win over the Mavericks, Jones spent time defending 7-3 Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis.
“This stretch has been great for me,” Jones said in advance of Monday’s Heat road matchup against the Grizzlies. “I want every challenge that I can get. That’s how you grow as a basketball player. If I want to be a Defensive Player of the Year one day, I got to take the challenge. Why not take it now when I’m 22 years old before I even get close to reaching my prime? Why not take the challenge now?”
On a Heat roster that includes plenty of reliable and quality defenders, Jones has become one of the most versatile. From point guards to stretch bigs, the 6-6 and 210-pound Jones can take the challenge.
Entering Monday, Jones has limited those he has defended to 40 percent shooting this season — 5.8 percent worse than their normal shooting percentage. While Jones had trouble against Davis on Friday, Hachimura, Beal, Young, James and Porzingis combined to shoot 5 of 21 when defended by Jones recently, according to NBA tracking stats.
“That’s one thing I focus on,” Jones said of his defense. “I feel like with this team, in the next year or two, I feel like we could have at least four or five players on the All-Defensive team list. We have players that are long, athletic, can guard one through five. That’s something we take pride in, and that’s our defense. ... If locking down the best player is my job, then I’m going to get it done.”
Jones’ elite athleticism (his vertical leap was once measured at 48 inches) and length provide a unique package on defense that allows him to guard multiple positions.
“He has the physical gifts,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jones. “He moves extremely well. He’s stronger than he looks. He really has put a lot of time in the weight room, as well, to transform his body. And he has been in our system now for two years. It has taken him some time to really get comfortable. Two offseasons of a lot of work. He has gained a lot of confidence defensively. And we’ve seen it now for a period of time that I trust him defensively.”
While the physical tools were there for Jones when he joined the Heat as a two-way contract player in the middle of the 2017-18 season, he had to learn how to defend.
“Just being able to read defenses better and offenses better,” Jones said of the growth he has made. “When I’m on defense, just knowing where the ball is going to go and where they want to get the ball and just always being in the right spot.”
Jones’ offense is still a work in progress, as he entered Monday averaging 6.3 points and 1.2 assists this season. He is 5 of 19 (26.3 percent) on shots outside of the paint.
But Jones knows if he keeps defending at a high level, it will be hard to completely take him out of the rotation even when Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow return from injury. Jones has averaged 28.8 minutes of court time over the five games leading up to Monday’s contest in Memphis.
“As long as I’m locking down people on defense, it’s going to be pretty hard to take me off the floor,” Jones said.
Low turnovers
While the Heat entered Monday’s game against the Grizzlies averaging the second-most turnovers in the league at 17 per game, it has managed to clean up that issue recently. Miami averaged just 10 turnovers over the three games leading up to Monday’s contest.
“Hopefully that continues to trend in the right direction,” Spoelstra said. “It’s incredibly important for our offense. It’s not a coincidence that our offense has been trending better. We’re scoring more, we’re winning more possession games. It’s not rocket science. The simplification and taking more responsibility are the most important things right now.”
▪ Dragic (strained right groin), James Johnson (personal reasons), Dion Waiters (team suspension) and Winslow (strained lower back) were all ruled out for Monday’s game. All four players did not travel with the Heat for the three-game trip that ends Wednesday against the 76ers.
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 3:02 PM.
