New Orleans Pelicans Star Will Receive Much-Deserved Recognition This Season

A New Orleans Pelicans player has been predicted to take home some hardware this season.

Oct 13, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) protects the basketball from New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (2) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

One of the biggest storylines in the NBA heading into the 2024-25 season is what the New Orleans Pelicans are going to do at the center position.

During the preseason, head coach Willie Green used Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones and Daniel Theis in every starting lineup. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram would round things out in the games they played in.

Someone is going to shift to the bench out of those six, and another move could be made when Trey Murphy is healthy and ready to return to the lineup as well.

Green has given zero indication about what he is thinking.

He provided a cryptic answer when asked, so the rotation might not be known until lineups are announced for the season opener against the Chicago Bulls.

It feels like a safe bet to say Jones will be part of the group.

He has been a starter essentially since Day 1 of his NBA career, entering as a stout versatile defender. His offensive game has come along since then, but it is defense that remains his calling card.

Coming into the campaign, Jones has earned the respect of people around the league. He was viewed favorably in the annual NBA GM Polls, being voted among the best perimeter defenders and overall defensive players.

Chris Herring of ESPN believes he will be recognized with at the end of the season with some hardware.

In a recent piece, NBA experts provided picks on who will win some awards this year, and Jones was Herring’s pick to take home Defensive Player of the Year with OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks finishing second.

“Jones was already one of the league's most versatile, impactful defenders. But now the 6-foot-7 center will be able to showcase that ability as a starter for the Pelicans. The 26-year-old, who was named first-team All-Defense last season, is fantastic in one-on-one scenarios, having allowed just 0.71 points per possession in those spots -- a top-five rate among wings last season who defended at least 45 such plays. His length and activity also make him effective in terms of blocking 3-point attempts, an incredibly difficult play for anyone to make, let alone someone who's as impactful as Jones is near the basket,” he wrote.

That is not a typo.

It has been reported that Jones will be playing the center role for New Orleans this season.

There are certainly some risks that come from moving the best perimeter defender to the interior since the Pelicans are going to be undersized every night they take the floor, but it will just be another feather in his cap as he cements his status as the premier defensive player in the NBA.