3 Players who will need to step up against the Oklahoma City Thunder
By Mat Issa
Herbert Jones
As their best perimeter defender, Herbert Jones will already have his hands full shadowing the Thunder’s superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But even more than that, he represents the key to unlocking the Pelicans’ secret lineup.
We mentioned how the Thunder regularly turn to a super small-ball lineup. Well, New Orleans has a lineup like that in their rolodex, and it features Jones as the nominal center (he’s logged 2% of minutes at center this year, per Basketball Reference).
If the Valanciunas, Nance, and Hayes’ pitches aren’t working the way they want them to, New Orleans might be better off going with a five-man lineup of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Josh Richardson, Murphy, and Jones.
If that happens, Jones will need to up the ante on his physicality, as the team will be vulnerable on the boards. If he can pull that off and continue to provide his usual contributions, he might just be the needle that pushes this team to victory.
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