If you're reading this, you probably know just how good Herb Jones is defensively. And while the general NBA fan still might not be aware, every player in the league who has attempted to score on Jones knows extremely well how brutal he is to opposing stars.
Take Lakers star Luka Doncic. In a recent interview with WSJ Style, Luka named the two biggest "headaches" he's faced in the NBA. First was his new teammate Marcus Smart, and second was Herb. Pelicans fans have to love one of their guys getting some unprompted love from one of the league's premier stars... unless he's trying to subtly recruit Herb to join him in Los Angeles. In that case, Luka can get bent!
Jokes aside, praise from opposing players has to feel good for guys in the NBA, especially when the praise is along the lines of I hate playing against you... the highest form of flattery. Top-flight defenders take pride in being irrirants, and Herb is surely that.
If you're wondering where Luka's admiration of Herb comes from, it might be the NBA Cup in 2023-24. In the group stage game between the Mavs and the Pels, Jones had five steals and two blocks, thoroughly dominating the defensive end, and Luka shot just 5-16 from the field with eight turnovers. Shutdown.
Herb Jones can remind people how good he is this year
When a player isn't seen for most of a season, they get forgotten. It's really harsh. All of our brains are broken and we can't remember anything from more than a few months ago. We should probably try to fix that, but alas, Jones was the victim of our forgetfulness, and playing just 20 games last season on a non-competitive team caused him to be cast off a bit.
And it won't take too long for Jones and Doncic to matchup, likely to Luka's dismay. The Lakers come to SmoothieKing Center on November 14th. Hopefully not for any recruiting. Teams like the Lakers love to see a great player on any other team in the league and say, "Hm, why isn't he on... our team instead?"
Not this time! Admire from afar, but Herb isn't going anywhere... I don't think. I hope not.