Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans put on a masterclass in defense last night, holding Chris Paul to just four points and dominating the perimeter.
Jones uses a combination of athleticism, IQ, length and sheer will on the defensive end, and it was all on display last night, as he battled over screens and seemed to contest just about every shot.
Jones and fellow rookie Jose Alvarado smothered Chris Paul in the 4th, frustrating him into three turnovers after having just one in the 4th quarter in the previous three games combined.
It’s been awhile since I saw a player impact a game like that defensively, and for old heads like me, it brought back memories of another wiry, athletic defender.
Herb Jones has Dennis Rodman potential on defense
Over a year ago, I wrote about how the Pelicans needed their own Dennis Rodman, and they may have found him in Herb Jones.
For those of you who aren’t old enough to have seen him play, you might know Dennis Rodman more for his off-the-court antics, and as far as personalities go, he and Herb Jones couldn’t be much different.
Rodman is a Hall-of-Famer and one of the top 75 players of all time, mostly known for being a forward who won the rebounding title seven times in his career.
But Rodman was also an elite defender, winning Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career and making the first-team All-Defense squad seven times.
Like Herb, Rodman was a combo forward who could literally defend anyone in the league, as he would take on everyone from Shaquille O’Neal, to Magic Johnson, to Reggie Miller to Alonzo Mourning.
Also like Jones, Rodman was an older second-round pick who was mostly overlooked because of his lack of offense.
Rodman did it with effort, as he just wanted it more than everyone else, and watching Herb Jones hustling all over the court last night to contest shots was giving me serious Rodman vibe.
Jones doesn’t have Rodman’s flamboyant look or Bad Boy reputation, but he does have his deer-like athleticism, ability to get off the floor faster than everyone else and the ability to cover big distances quickly for close-out blocks.
Rodman was a five-time NBA champion because he knew his role and did it better than everyone else in the league, complementing stars like MJ and Scottie Pippen, the same way Herb Jones hopes to with Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum.
Dennis Rodman is one of the best NBA defenders of all time, so Herb Jones still has a long way to go to get to that level, but he has a good chance of making All-Defense as a rookie and is already impacting playoff games in similar ways with his defense.