Herb Jones continues to climb up rookie ladder for Pelicans

Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans may not be the flashiest rookie, but he gets results, which is why he is getting national attention.

Jones has proven himself to be one of the best rookie defenders, taking on the toughest defensive assignments every night and making life a nightmare for opposing scorers.

He doesn’t score much himself, which is why you don’t often hear his name mentioned among the top rookies, but Jones is a guy whose game translates into wins.

The Pelicans are 8-9 with Herb Jones in the starting lineup and just 3-12 without him in the starting five, so its clear he has an impact on winning.

That is why he continues to climb up the KIA Rookie Ladder, which is the weekly ranking of NBA rookies.

Herb Jones now finds himself as the 8th player on the list and I could definitely see him climbing even higher if the Pelicans continue to win.

Could Herb Jones be a first-team All-Rookie selection for the Pelicans?

I do think Herb Jones has a very good chance to make one of the All-Rookie teams this season but barring injury it’s tough to see him jumping into the top five.

Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham are pretty much locks to be on the first team and Franz Wagner and Josh Giddey have also been staples of the top five this season, so it would be difficult for Herb Jones to supplant one of them given his role on the team.

But he is solidly in the top ten now, so if he keeps this up, and the Pelicans can get into the play-in, I’d say he’s close to a lock to make the All-Rookie Second Team, which would be an amazing accomplishment considering he was a second-round pick.

The Pelicans may have found their own Draymond Green, a guy who can win games with disruptive defense, make plays and doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective.

Herb Jones has been one of the best surprises of the season for New Orleans and he is getting the recognition he deserves.