Bryce Dejean-Jones has been a surprise for the New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans may have found a steal in Bryce Dejean-Jones, and he has played well in all three of his starts.

Jumping from the D-League to the starting lineup of an NBA team, one could say that January was an exciting month for the New Orleans Pelicans new wing, Bryce Dejean-Jones. After signing with the Pelicans on January 21, Dejean-Jones was catapulted into the starting lineup on January 28 against the Sacramento Kings as the Pelicans’ depth at guard withered away.

While Bryce Dejean-Jones had played well in the D-League and performed decently in the summer league for the New Orleans Pelicans, expectations were low, and Pelican Debrief’s own Rick Stone, who watched Bryce for two seasons while attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas, quickly made it known that the writers should not expect too much from the volume scorer.

So far, in this very small sample size, everyone was wrong. Since being inserted into the starting lineup on January 28, Dejean-Jones has filled the void left by Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans as well as anyone could have possibly expected. Averaging over thirty minutes a game in his three starts, he has scored an impressive 10.3 points per game, and he has found other ways to contribute as well, chipping in 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.3 assists per game.

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The most impressive thing about his game, so far, is his efficiency. Currently posting a player efficiency rating of 14.2 (15 is considered average) and a true shooting percentage of 53.2 percent, Bryce Dejean-Jones is helping the team win games. His play has displayed a certain sense of self-awareness and maturity that is often not common in younger players thrust into the spotlight, and Dejean-Jones has shown a patience to pick his spots carefully.

Due to his size (6-6 and 209 pounds, per basketball-reference) and athleticism, he is able to finish at the rim with emphatic dunks despite the defense lurking around, and he looks to do it often. Currently, 38 percent of all his field goal attempts come within three feet of the basket with 14.3 percent of all his makes coming via dunks like this one.

More impressive than his dunking, though, his shooting from three point range is something no one expected. Accounting for 52 percent of his looks, Dejean-Jones is currently shooting a staggering 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. While it is fairly obvious that his absurd three point shooting will eventually drop off, it is great to see him hit those looks with Eric Gordon sidelined with a fractured finger.

His game is not without faults, though, and the Pelicans are better with him off the floor rather than on due to his poor defense. While he has recorded five steals in his three starts, Dejean-Jones is often out of position on the defensive end, especially when playing off of the ball. Wayne Ellington of the Brooklyn Nets made four shots from deep in the first quarter with Dejean-Jones covering him on January 30, due to Dejean-Jones simply losing Ellington as he worked his way around the perimeter.

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For him to have staying power with the team, Bryce Dejean-Jones must improve his defense and maintain his strong play on the offensive side of the ball. He will need to do more with less playing time, as Tyreke Evans is likely to return very soon. Given what Dejean-Jones has shown thus far, he will be just fine.