How Playing Next to Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Has Unlocked Dallas Mavs' Derrick Jones Jr.

The Mavs have received career-best production from Derrick Jones Jr. as he thrives alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

DALLAS — After signing with the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year, $2.7 million contract, Derrick Jones Jr. is in the midst of a career year in his eighth NBA season. After recording 24 points and four rebounds with a career-high six made 3s, he's averaging 9.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game. 

"It goes back to just the trust and the chemistry I have with the guys. From when I first got in here, [Coach Kidd] told me to play my game and be who I am," Jones said.

Jones has strongly overachieved as a perimeter shooter compared to what his career numbers would suggest to expect. Entering this season, he shot 30.4 percent from deep on 529 attempts in 344 regular season games. Entering Wednesday's game against the Utah Jazz, the veteran forward is shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.3 attempts per game — an increase in volume by 3.0 attempts from his season average with the Chicago Bulls in 2022-23.

How has Jones managed to rapidly increase his volume of perimeter shots while also producing what has been his best single-season 3-point percentage so far? His perspective of it is simple: confidence. No mechanical changes, just a mentality to be aggressive in letting it fly on the coach when the defense gives him the open look.

"It's just me trusting my shot a lot more, me just being a lot more confident in my game, and just going out there playing free,' Jones said. "It's probably one of the first times in my career where I have — not the green light — but I have a light to where I can take the shot when you get the open shot and play basketball, be a basketball player and don't don't defer and don't don't go away from who you are."

The quality of shots Jones receives by playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving has been an instrumental element of Jones' shooting success. He credits them for generating a high volume of open looks, leaving it up to him to make the defense pay for using such an approach. 

"[Doncic] and Kai draw so much attention and him drawing that much attention. I mean, like I said, it's a simple game," Jones said. "I just have to make my job very easy. I get a shot, take the shot [and] make the shot. If I get a layup, take the layup [and] make the layup. It's a simple game, but it's just I have to play the game the right way."

Jones admitted he didn't expect to receive the amount of open shots he's getting by playing within the Mavs' system and alongside the talents that set the tone. With Doncic and Irving being frequent targets of double teams in the half-court, Jones described it as being a "fun" game to play.

"I really didn't think I was going to have this many attempts in any games. I mean, I'm I'm happy. It's a fun game to play when you have star players getting off the ball because they know that they have a double on them. It's just a fun game to play."

Dallas Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. during the 2023-24 NBA season / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Before the season began, Jones conveyed the utmost confidence in his shooting ability. He attributed his career-best results in 2022-23 to trusting his shot and continuing to let it fly instead of pinpointing any mechanical change. He's maintained the same mindset and has made the most of the shots he's received. 

"Just trust in my shot," Jones told DallasBasketball.com in the preseason. "Keep shooting it the same way I've been shooting and knowing that I'm a good shooter. Just keep shooting and keep letting it fly."

A common strategy from opposing teams has been to deploy the center on Jones as the primary matchup to hide a slower defender while deploying the wing on Dereck Lively II to stifle ball-screening actions with the 7-foot-1 lob threat. Jones must continue to make the defense pay by knocking down the open shot as a starting place.

"Just knocking down the shot and take to our game plan," Jones told DallasBasketball.com in Milwaukee. "If they want to put the center on me, that means everything's going to be open. It's always going to be open, and I will knock down my shot."

Beyond perimeter shooting, Jones has provided the Mavs with a needed element of being a re-drive threat when attacking closeouts. It becomes particularly important when teams are trying to hide a center on him, and they are forced to respect the threat of the catch-and-shoot attempt, creating an advantage to get to the rim.

“Everyone talks about the threes, but for him to be able to put it on the floor and drive it to the rim is something that we haven’t had,” Kidd said. “We can’t just rely on the three. We’ve got to take the layups.”

Another layer Jones provides that isn't common for a wing is his threat to the defense as a rim roller and cutter in pick-and-roll or a handoff. As someone who has often played at the four and small ball five, he has interior skills paired with his explosiveness that makes quick work on the second side action, often with Kyrie Irving as the ball handler as the ball pops around the half-court. It's provided the Mavs with an intriguing counter to when teams try to hide the big on the weak side. 

"It's for sure just another opportunity for me to put the ball in his hands and try to create an advantage with him going downhill with the big, or me in the pocket going at a 4-on-3, a 3-on-2 on the other side. I like it a lot."

The Mavs tend to produce elite results offensively, with Doncic leading the charge. However, the next step for the team will be to improve on defense and rebounding to execute at a sufficient level, and Jones will factor into the mix as an essential fixture. He's often guarded quicker threats on the perimeter as the on-ball defender. However, being a reliable option on the wing begins with converting from deep and Jones has remained capable in doing so.