Herb Jones is closer to a young Kawhi Leonard than you might think

Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans has come out of nowhere to establish himself as one of the top rookies and one of the best draft picks the Pels have ever made.

He is arguably the best defender from his rookie class, is emerging on offense and is already basically untouchable in a trade even though he was taken in the second round.

I compared him to Draymond Green early in the season because of his ability to defend nearly everyone and make plays from the forward position, but his recent offensive surge has me re-thinking this comparison.

His length, athleticism, and ability to knock down spot-up 3-point shots might be closer to Kawhi Leonard and before you think I’m nuts, bear with me because the numbers support it.

I do understand that comparing a rookie who has played half a season to two Hall-of-Famers is a stretch and Herb has a LONG way to go before he’s anywhere near either one of them, as both are NBA champions who have shelves full of individual awards.

But rookie Herb is very close to rookie Kawhi and there is an argument that he is even better.

Herb Jones vs. Kawhi Leonard

There is one big caveat to these numbers, as Leonard was just 20-years-old in his rookie season and Herb Jones is 23, so we are not comparing apples to apples here. If we were, I might argue that rookie Herb Jones is better than rookie Kawhi. Just take a look how it breaks down:

Kawhi Leonard per game rookie numbers vs. Herb Jones

7.9 points for Kawhi to 9.1 for Herb

5.1 rebounds/3.7 rebounds

1.1 assists/ 1.9 assists

1.3 steals/ 1.4 steals

.4 block/ 1 block

37.6% from 3-point range on 1.7 attempts/ 40% from 3-point range on 1.6 attempts

49% FG/ 49% FG

If you think it’s unfair to compare the two because of age I can understand, as Kawhi’s numbers at 23 jump up to 16.5/7.2/2.5 and he led the NBA in steals with 2.3 per game.

It’s doubtful Herb Jones will ever blossom into Kawhi Leonard at his peak, as this is man who led two teams to titles and won Finals MVP twice, but I think it’s fair to say that Herb Jones could be a “poor man’s Kawhi” once he’s been in the league a few seasons.

It’s an interesting comparison, especially when you consider they are both long, athletic forwards who can defend just about anyone.

Jones will probably never be quite the two-way player that Leonard is, but to even be in the conversation is pretty amazing considering his draft position.