New Role Gives Herb Jones Path To Defensive Awards

Herb Jones moving to a small-ball center role gives him a better chance at winning the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Author:
Chris Dodson
Updated:
Mar 13, 2023 4:03 PM EDT

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New Orleans Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS- Willie Green has been caught in a bind due to injuries all season but a new creative wrinkle to the rotations has given the New Orleans Pelicans a jolt of energy. Herb Jones has been closing out games as the small ball five, a move that both improves the team and boosts his odds of earning All-Defense accolades this year. Getting a few votes for Defensive Player of the Year as soon as next season is not an unreasonable projection.

Green said after a blowout win over Portland that the new approach with Jones is "something we've kind of fallen into because teams will put their fives, or maybe their weakest defender on Herb and I don't want him, he's just too good of a player to just stay in the corner the whole game. Trying to get him into some more of our actions, Herb's a playmaker. He did it in college. He did it last season so there's time we want to put the ball in his hands. We want to put him at the five and just let him be a playmaker."

Nov 5, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones (5) dunks against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports

Green focused on offense for that answer but playing Jones as the last line of defense allows for more flexibility on both ends of the court. It also gives the team more effective rim protection than Jonas Valanciunas, Willy Hernangomez, and Jaxson Hayes have provided, especially in clutch situations (game within 5 points with 5 minutes or less remaining).

This new role provides Jones a platform to show a wider range of skills and basketball IQ with some offensive highlights sprinkled in for good measure. Good thing too. Any run for the hardware will need some big moments to outpace the current competition and the history books.

CJ McCollum claimed after the win over Portland, "I thought (Jones) should have been All-Defense last year. If people would watch more Pelicans games they would know about his ability to guard."

The compliments did not stop there. McCollum elaborated, "(Jones) takes on the toughest assignment every night. Guards one through five. Great help defender in terms of going from being able to guard the ball to stealing the pass to the post. I think he's done that two games in a row. He has a really good knack of understanding how to impact and make winning plays."

History vs. Not on Herb's Odds

The history books are against Jones winning NBA DPOY, no doubt, but the new role expands the possibilities and shrinks the longshot odds. Historically, winners of the now-named Hakeem Olajuwon award were paint-patrolling big men but today's NBA is not yesterday's game. Jones getting to blend his game between the wing and the low block helps tilt the media voting scales in his favor.

Marcus Smart won last year, however, the only other point guard to win the award is Gary Payton. Sidney Moncrief, A.C. Robertson, Michael Cooper, and Metta Sandiford-Artest have won the award as perimeter-based defenders. Kawhi "The Klaw" Leonard, "Gary "The Glove" Payton, and Michael "Air" Jordan have been runaway winners as the point-of-attack captains.

The 2020-21 SEC Defensive Player of the Year is listed as 6'7'' on the team's website. Every other NBA DPOY winner has been listed taller than 6'8'' except two: Draymond Green and Dennis "The Worm" Rodman. Green and Rodman were the defensive anchors of two of the greatest dynasties regardless of sport. If Jones can play the same type of role, a near-max contract is in order. If not, his limited range limits his earning power.

Jones is at least set on the nickname with the 'Not on Herb' moniker ready for a national marketing campaign. Those two Hall of Fame blueprints fit Jones' skill set as well, especially in today's evolving NBA. The coaching staff has every reason to explore the possibilities throughout the game, not just the last five minutes.

Herb From Here On Out

Looking at the rest of the regular season and beyond, Jones at the five unlocks more offensive options, energy, and spacing by way of back cuts, screens, and rim-rolling dunks that keep opponents honest. He can push the pace and pass from both the low block and elbow.

Herb at the five is a good recipe for success, it just needs to simmer a bit longer. Ingram and McCollum cannot be the beginning and end of every offensive possession while Zion Williamson is out. Coach Green and Jones talked about the second-year sensation being more of a playmaker on Media Day. He still can be, just maybe not as the initiator bringing the ball up the court.

Jones does not have to be a constant, direct-scoring threat. If he can just serve as a point forward facilitator at times, much like Green does for Golden State so Steph Curry can run free, Ingram and McCollum will find more room to operate. NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has unlocked Denver's offense and elevated the supporting cast in the same role, just with a far higher usage rate.

The mantra of 'the best offense is a good defense' applies to highlights as well. Getting to start and finish plays helps put more of a spotlight on the defense work that leads to easy buckets.

Jones replied to my asking about adjustments and comforts during Media Day, "I'm most comfortable relying on my defensive abilities to open up more transition opportunities for myself and my teammates."

Green and Rodman both did the dirty work of taking charges, grabbing contested rebounds, and leading runouts. They also got a unique kind of glory in victory and a different level of respect from their peers. Anyone spending time around Jones would likely agree that a similar particular origin story/character path toward DPOY recognition suits Jones's personality.

This new role is a big change, far more interactive and engaging for Jones than standing still for a corner three attempt. It also allows the coaching staff to get the most out of the rest of the roster, even when Larry Nance Jr. and Zion Williamson return.

Who Is Herb's DPOY Competition?

Advanced analytics and accolades go hand-in-hand these days. However, Jones does not need to be an All-Star to get All-Defense honors. Robert Williams, for example, has been in the running the last two seasons and is not a good bet to ever get an All-Star or All-NBA nod. Williams also does not act as a point of attack or take on the toughest assignments.

Jones does, sitting in the same stratosphere as Jrue Holiday, Dillon Brooks, and OG Anunoby. Only a handful of second-year players are above-average defenders. Jones is one of the NBA's elite talents by several metrics. FiveThirtyEight's Defensive RAPTOR scale has Jones as the 22nd-best defender in the NBA this season. Regardless of the team's record or when the numbers were run, Jones is always in the top-right, elite quadrant of the equation.

The avid fisherman will need to up his scoring production at least slightly to match up with Jimmy Butler and Matisse Thybulle, both of whom appeared on NBA DPOY ballots recently. Some regression from the older seven-footers on the ballot like Robin Lopez, Rudy Gobert, and Draymond Green would help as well. Green's 10 points per game in 2016-17 was the lowest since Ben Wallace won four times in five years starting in 2001.

Not on Herb has not been on target, currently under 10 points per game. Even Joakim Noah posted 12.6 ppg in 2013-14. Second-tier defensive stalwarts like Shane Battier, Norman Powell, and Mario Chalmers have gone on 20+ point scoring sprees in the playoffs.

Jones did not get a single vote in SI's FanNation Media Poll and may not get named on the first or second All-Defense teams at the end of the year. This season has just been too disappointing from both a team and individual perspective. Slumping to 28.6% from the three-point range this season is a significant drop-off from 33.7% in his rookie year, for instance.

Featuring Jones as a high IQ orchestrator at both ends of the floor allows him to read and roam the game. He played free safety in high school after all and this move is a force multiplier in how Jones affects the game with what coach Green has said are instincts that "you just cannot teach" several times since the 2021 Media Day.

Currently in the top 10 on the NBA's Defensive Player Ladder, the beloved second-round pick has a chance to earn some new-found respect in this new role while chasing a trophy to put on the mantle next season. One no one would be able to touch of course, since Not on Herb would be guarding it.