Herb Jones could make Pelicans’ offense unstoppable
The New Orleans Pelicans looked sharp in their first preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. They played aggressively and fast, attacking the rim and looking to push the pace in transition and with early offense in the half court.
They racked up 40 points in the first quarter and just about everyone got involved, including Herb Jones, who knocked down a 3-pointer to start the onslaught for the Pelicans’ offense.
Jones was mostly thought of as a 3-and-D guy coming out of college, and he did have a nice stretch of 3-point shooting last season, but he also showed that he can thrive in transition and as a cutter off the ball.
Jones only played 12 minutes in the preseason win over the Bulls, but he showed even more confidence handling the ball, making plays and drilling 3-pointers.
Herb was as active on offense as he was on defense, and played aggressively, looking to get to the rim off the bounce.
This Herb bucket won’t make the highlights but love the composure he shows on plays like this. His confidence on offense is even higher than how he closed last season pic.twitter.com/6udIiTkaX9
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) October 5, 2022
NBA defenses around the league are groaning right now, because if Jones keeps improving offensively, this New Orleans Pelicans team is going to be impossible to stop.
New Orleans Pelicans: Herb Jones can eat in this offense
The Pelicans might have the best “Big 3” in the entire NBA in Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
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All of these guys are capable of dropping 30 any given night and will be the focal point of opposing defenses. Then you have big man Jonas Valanciunas, another gifted post scorer who can also step out and hit a 3-point shot on occasion.
All four of these players will command double teams at times, which is going to leave a whole lot of opportunity for Mr. Jones, who is going to be the one who gets left alone most of the time or matched up against the other team’s worst perimeter defender.
Jones shot 33 percent on 2.2 attempts from long range last season, and looked even more confident in that shot in the win over the Bulls, as he didn’t hesitate and nailed two of three attempts in just 12 minutes.
If Jones is not only going to be knocking down corner 3’s and cutting off the ball, but also making plays on it, this Pelicans’ offense is going to be next to impossible to stop when everyone is clicking.
Teams are going to have to choose their poison, and Herb Jones looks ready to make them pay when they decide he is the weak link in the offense.
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