When the New Orleans Pelicans selected Herb Jones out of the University of Alabama in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, he was supposed to be a project. While he had displayed elite defensive tools and encouraging athleticism in his time with the Crimson Tide, his rudimentary offensive game made many suspect that he would take a while to be a legitimate rotation player in a league that heavily emphasized scoring and floor spacing.
Jones was a poor deep shooter in college, and his lack of a dependable outside jumper suggested that he'd be too much of an offensive liability to see the floor early on in the NBA. However, he proved to be a more impactful defender than even his most optimistic fans expected, and he was able to use his athleticism to be enough of an offensive threat in transition and as a finisher to survive on the court.
Three seasons later and Jones has already established himself as one of the best defenders in the entire league. He's also become a force to be reckoned with in the open court and has showcased some burgeoning offensive skills that have significantly raised his ceiling, including a deep stroke that hit on nearly 42 percent of his 3-point attempts last season. Herb Jones is a big reason why the New Orleans Pelicans are viewed as an up-and-coming contender, and, with these goals in mind, he could accelerate both his progression and his team's.
Goals for Herb Jones to become a two-way force in the 2024-25 NBA season for the New Orleans Pelicans
1. Average over five 3PA per game
There was worry that Herb Jones might never be a good outside shooter in the NBA. He surprised a lot of detractors by hitting a respectable 33 percent of his triples in his rookie season. After he was unable to improve on that mark in his second year, though, those concerns started to rear their ugly heads once again.
Last season, he silenced those doubts by connecting on 41.8 percent of his 3-point launches. While that's an undeniably great rate for any shooter, Jones still wasn't a feared shooter last year, and he routinely saw his primary defender sagging off of him to play help defense on his team's drives.
That's because, despite his accuracy, he was still an obviously hesitant shooter. Over time, he's quickened his release and has grown confidence in his jumper. He'll need to continue his upward trajectory in terms of aggression next season to provide the Pelicans with the spacing they need to consistently break defenses, even if it means his 3-point percentage might slip a bit.
2. Average over 1 block per game
Jones is objectively one of the best defenders in the league. Playing in Head Coach Willie Green's scheme, he's tasked with guarding the opponent's best on-ball scorer while also maintaining help responsibility on drives night in and night out. He's been able to handle his assignments with aplomb.
Due to his efforts, Jones was rewarded with a First Team All-Defense selection last year and was the only perimeter defender to receive the honor, as he was chosen alongside Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, and Victor Wembanyama. Next season, New Orleans will likely need even more from him on defense, as they've lost many of their best defenders including every center they had from last season.
That means that Jones will likely have to be available to help protect the rim more. At 6'7 with a seven-foot wingspan and a 37-inch vertical, he's more than physically capable of swatting shots at the cup. With their roster situation, it wouldn't be surprising to see Jones playing some small-ball center next year, either.
Jones has made it clear that he means to add more All-Defense selections to his portfolio. Becoming an elite shot blocker will help him achieve that goal.