Herbert Jones joins Chris Paul in Pelicans’ rookie record books

Herbert Jones has had a special rookie season for the New Orleans Pelicans.

After being chosen in the second round, Jones quickly worked his way into the starting lineup with his elite defense and surprisingly good offense.

He’s been a mainstay on the Rookie Ladder and has a great chance to make the All-Rookie team this season and even an outside chance of landing on All-Defense.

“Not on Herb” has been the rallying cry of the Pelicans’ defense this season, and Jones has been a big part in their turnaround on that end, as the Pels have worked their way into the top half of the league in points allowed after being near the bottom of that category for the past two seasons.

Jones has been at the center of the team’s newfound defensive identity, leads all rookies in steals and recently joined former Pelican Chris Paul in the New Orleans’ record books.

Herbert Jones and Chris Paul alone in the New Orleans Pelicans’ record books

Herbert Jones recorded his 101st steal for the New Orleans Pelicans in their loss to Phoenix, which made him just the second rookie in Pelicans’ team history to achieve such a feat in his rookie season.

The other was future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul, who is one of the smartest defenders to ever play the game, a guy who averaged 2.2 steals in his rookie season and has led the league in that category six times in his illustrious career.

Paul ended his rookie season with 175 steals, so his all-time record is probably safe, as Jones is averaging 1.5 steals per game this season.

But Paul was playing the point guard position and had a lot more opportunities for steals than a guy who is often defending everyone from the point guard to the power forwards on the other team.

Few players have ever matched Paul’s ability to get a swipe, so the fact that Herb is even close is a testament to how good he has been defensively as a rookie.