Former New Orleans Pelicans Forward Takes Offense to Herb Jones Player Ranking

Pelicans forward Herb Jones is not getting the respect he deserves and people are taking notice.

Nov 5, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones (5) pressures Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: / Larry Robinson-Imagn Images

ESPN released its Top 100 Player Rankings recently, and the list already has some in an uproar. The list revealed just players 100-51, with the rest of the list to surface later. Two New Orleans Pelicans players are listed: Herb Jones at No. 97 and CJ McCollum at No. 84. Many took to social media to contest Jones' ranking too far down on the list.

Here is ESPN's thought process behind Jones' ranking. He was not ranked at all on last year's list.

"Maybe Jones should rank higher here, considering he's coming off a campaign in which he made the All-Defensive first team and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Jones turned into a reliable 3-point shooter (41.8%) in Year 3. Perhaps it's time to pump up the volume in that area."

The article acknowledged Jones' defense prowess, with his First Team All-NBA nomination and being the only non-center selected in the Top 5 of Defensive Player of the Year voting, but said he needed to shoot more threes. Under head coach Willie Green, New Orleans has never finished better than 23rd in the league in three-point attempts per season. Still, Jones was able to shoot over 40% from beyond the arc, 50% from the field, and 87% from the free throw line last season.

Former teammate Larry Nance, Jr., took to social media to express his displeasure with the former Alabama standout's ranking.

These people have no idea what they’re doing #Justice4Herb https://t.co/QpHPfLmvsp

— Larry Nance (@Larrydn22) October 15, 2024

Nance, Jr. had a front-row seat to Jones' progression in the league and often commented publicly on how hard a worker the former second-round pick is.

“I think I said something last year that was like the two hardest-working people I’ve ever seen was, one, Collin Sexton in Cleveland, two, Brandon Ingram in Los Angeles,” Nance said back in 2022. “Herb Jones is on that list. This dude, every time -- like every time -- I was at the gym, he was either just leaving or just coming back for his second workout. The dude is a gym rat."

Jones, by nature, is the quiet type who puts his head down and does all the dirty work the team needs. With his defensive nomination last season, he will surely appear on more people's radar this year. Now paired with Dejounte Murray in the backcourt, the two will form a dynamic defensive backcourt that should wreak havoc on the opposing team's backcourts. Since 2022, Jones and Murray are No. 1 and 2 in steals in the entire NBA. Another solid season from Jones will have him creeping up more lists for years to come.