Terrence Jones will fill big role early for New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are giving a lot of preseason minutes to forward Terrence Jones, as they look to for him to fill a big role early into the new season.

New Orleans Pelicans Power Forward Terrence Jones has more minutes than any other player in the first two preseason games.

That may be shocking to many, as Jones is not a huge name on the team.

However, his role this season could be a massive one for the Pelicans.

New Orleans has gone through a rebrand of their team, as they look more defensively focused than ever before. The key for them is flexibility, as they need players who can guard multiple positions.

The one player who focuses that area the best in the frontcourt is Anthony Davis.

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Davis is able to guard the power forward position well, yet his ability to guard the center position too is a fantastic skill. He’s no one trick pony on the defensive end. The team desperately needed him to play center minutes last year, due to a variety of injuries to the team.

Even with healthy returns of Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca, the focus on being able to run smaller lineups is there. Alvin Gentry ran this in his time as an assistant in Golden State. It’s key on this team’s signings that he wants to bring it to New Orleans as well.

However, when Davis is not on the floor, New Orleans did not have a stretch five on the team. Asik and Ajinca did not play well against opposing squads that ran small ball lineups. Teams like the Warriors and the Boston Celtics were able to abuse the bigs, since those teams did not run typical centers off the bench.

For New Orleans to truly have flexibility and balance, they need that stretch five off the bench, alongside Davis.

Queue the music for Terrence Jones.

Jones is a player that is mainly focused on the power forward position. Still, he can play the center if needed. It fills the massive hole New Orleans had in their small-ball depth last year. It’s not just a likely adjustment to the long-term future of the roster. It’s huge for this season as well.

Asik and Ajinca will get minutes. However, the Pelicans will need Jones to play both power forward minutes when Davis is resting and center minutes with AD. It won’t be the 27 minutes he’s getting in the preseason, but it will still be important.

The offensive focus is already showing. Jones has taken eight shots from behind the arc so far in the preseason. New Orleans wants him there so teams that focus too hard on AD or collapse on the driver and/or center inside can be punished. He’s there to space the floor, no matter his position.

Defensively, work is still in progress. He has a total of 10 rebounds, which is not great for someone who could be playing a big role inside. For the most part, other teams have taken advantage inside the paint. However, it’s a big jump for Jones. He has never been a center in big stretches before. It’s better to learn now than in big regular season games.

The fact of the matter is the Pelicans trust Jones with this role. They are testing him with preseason play in order for him to be ready once the season begins. For a man struggling to find his role last year in Houston, this has to be a promising sign.

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The New Orleans Pelicans are planning on running a lot more small-ball lineups in 2016-2017. That means the role of Terrence Jones will have massive importance to the success of the team. The young stretch five must be able to play both frontcourt positions well and effectively. It is a lot to ask for in a man coming off recent injuries the past few seasons. Still, if he can have the success the coaching staff hopes for, the Pelicans could exceed expectations earlier than originally thought.