Mavs' Derrick Jones Jr. on Hot Start to Season: 'Just Be Who I Am'

Mavs veteran Derrick Jones Jr. has played the best basketball of his career through nine games in Dallas and has already gained the confidence and respect from his teammates.

Michael Mulford | Nov 12, 2023

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Dallas Mavericks

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks dominated the Los Angeles Clippers at home in a 144-126 onslaught.

Dallas blitzed the Clippers in the second quarter, outscoring them 47-18 to fully take control of the game while keeping their foot on the gas the remainder of the night.

One huge contributor to the Mavs' dominant win was veteran Derrick Jones Jr., who finished the game with 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals with a game-high +36 plus/minus while being on the floor, including being a part of Dallas' 35-4 run in the second quarter.

"Getting stops and scoring the ball a lot. Once you have Luka [Doncic] coming down and getting in a rhythm, he was scoring a lot. Then Kai [Kyrie Irving] got in his rhythm, and it’s going to be hard to stop him too," Jones Jr. said. "When we got those two guys in rhythm and were playing defense how we were tonight, it's going to be a good game for us."

Mavs' Derrick Jones Jr. defends Clippers' Paul George in the post. — Mavs' Derrick Jones Jr. defends Clippers' Paul George in the post / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

For Jones Jr., who signed a one-year deal with the Mavs this offseason, making this his fifth team in his eight-year career, has been sort of a revelation for Jason Kidd and the Mavericks so far this season as once the veteran joined the team, not many though he'd become a starter on day one of the season.

Through nine games, Jones Jr. is averaging a career-high 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting a career-high 37.1 percent from downtown on just under four attempts per game.

"My teammates, coaching staff, just everyone around me telling me to bring my game and be who I am. Just gotta keep going," Jones Jr. said.

If Jones Jr. can continue his positive impact on the Mavs on both ends of the floor, Dallas' starting lineup should be in a good spot going forward.

Published Nov 12, 2023

MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.