New Orleans Pelicans Elite Defender Ranked Among Best Players in the NBA

The New Orleans Pelicans elite defender gets praise in an NBA top-100 list.

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 / Larry Robinson-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans saw one of their key players get some respect in the latest NBA top-100 list.

Pelicans forward Herb Jones is known for his defense but saw a step forward in helping his team on the offensive side of the court a year ago. He was named as the 84th-best player in the NBA by Clutch Points' Brett Siegel.

After being selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Alabama, Jones has seen his points per game slowly creep up into double digits. In his three seasons, he's seen his points per game increase from 9.5 to 11.0 a season ago.

"No team in the league has been finding and developing talent through the NBA Draft better in recent years than the New Orleans Pelicans. Herb Jones joined the Pelicans a few years ago, and he has turned himself into a Defensive Player of the Year candidate because of his versatility," said Brett Siegel of Clutch Points.

Paired with his ability to play defense, he's become a better scorer from deep. Last season, he shot 41.8% on three-point attempts. If New Orleans can continue to develop Jones as a scorer paired with his ability to defend, he could move up on all top-100 lists in the coming years.

Jones played for over 30 minutes a game for the first time in his NBA career a season ago and if he is able to offer production on both sides of the floor like the Pelicans are expecting, that number could continue to tick up.

The former Alabama star is under contract with the Pelicans through the 2026-2027 season. His salary this season is expected to be just shy of $13 million.