Pelicans Scoop

Why New Orleans Pelicans Need To Keep Herbert Jones in Starting Five

It is imperative that the New Orleans Pelicans keep Herbert Jones in their starting lineup.

Kenneth Teape

Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots against New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) during the second half of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center.
Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots against New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) during the second half of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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There has been a lot of discussion heading into the 2024-25 NBA regular season about what head coach Willie Green is going to do with the New Orleans Pelicans starting lineup.

From the looks of it, there are three spots already locked up. Zion Williamson, the newly acquired Dejounte Murray and Brandon Ingram, as long as he is on the roster, will be in the starting five.

Based on how Green has handled the lineup previously, it is fair to guess at least one of the last two spots will go to a center, whether it be veteran Daniel Theis, rookie Yves Missi or someone acquired in a trade between now and the season beginning.

That last spot will come down to three players; CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones.

A second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Jones has been locked into one of those starting spots for nearly his entire NBA career. He has only come off the bench nine times, with the last occurrence being November 22, 2021 during his rookie year.

The Alabama product has been a stalwart in the rotation and that should not change moving forward. He has improved steadily throughout his NBA career and is too important to the defensive game plan as an elite wing defender to shift to the bench.

In the 2023-24 campaign, Jones upped his offensive efficiency to new heights making 49.8 percent of his shots overall and 41.8 percent from 3-point range, averaging 11 per game. On top of that offensive improvement, he performs at an elite level defensively.

He finished sixth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting last year and earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team. It was the recognition he deserved as one of the most talented players on the defensive end in the NBA.

As shared by BBall Index on X, the former Crimson Tide star is one of the wing stoppers in perimeter isolation defense. He was No. 6 in the league among players with at least 1,000 minutes played.

Jones is routinely taking the most difficult matchup on the wing and excels in the role. He is great at playing on-ball defense and even better when navigating a ball handler screen on defense.

His role in the defensive scheme is arguably the most important. When players such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant get going, it is Jones who has the tall task of trying to slow them down. Oftentimes, he accomplishes that feat.

Not only is he locking his opponents up, but he is also creating positive plays for the Pelicans. He ranks No. 5 among forwards in defensive playmaking as well.

Anything that a defender can do to disrupt the flow of an opposing offense is included in this statistic. Deflections, offensive fouls drawn, steals and blocks (recovered and unrecovered) are included in the calculations.

A strong argument can be made that Jones is currently the best wing defender in the NBA; no one else showed up in the top six of both BBall Index stats than the New Orleans emerging star.

That is also why he needs to remain in the team’s starting lineup. His effectiveness could be heightened with Murray, another stout defender, joining the mix. Both are great fits alongside Williamson on both ends of the court, as the former No. 1 pick is emerging as a dominant defender in his own right.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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