Herb Jones At Small-Ball Five Has Unlocked Options For Pelicans
The Pelicans are battling the injury bug as much as the 18 games remaining in the 2022-23 season. For the moment, New Orleans is near the top spot in Man Games Lost with the NBA's sixth-easiest regular-season schedule.
The recent injuries have forced Willie Green to become creative by placing Herb Jones at the small-ball five position and unlocking surprising options.
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
The big-man rotations have been affected the most, with Jonas Valanciunas (calf) missing two games, plus Larry Nance Jr. (ankle) and Zion Williamson (hamstring) sidelined for at least another week. With those three out of the rotation, Jaxson Hayes' playing time increased, and Willy Hernangomez made his first start against the Orlando Magic.
Herb Jones has been closing games, a trend that looks likely to evolve throughout the year. The Alabama alum's versatility on both ends of the court makes things easier for Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
Valanciunas, down from 30.3 minutes per game last season to 24.9 this season, has played 24 "clutch" minutes for New Orleans compared to 98 last season. The Pelicans haven't inserted Hayes to close out tough games, and Nance Jr. can only do so much. However, Jones is well-suited for the late-game role.
Nov 5, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones (5) pressures Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports
Jones can rebound at an above-average level even when playing up a position and immediately push the pace in transition. When rolling to the rim, the defensive stalwart can squeeze into space and handle the hot passes into the paint.
Jones also understands off-ball actions and can help facilitate movement on the weak side and baseline with very effective pin-down and curl screens. Watch how Jones keeps Murphy III clean for a corner-three attempt at the end of the Portland game, for example.
Getting Jones more involved in actions keeps him away from the corner-three area, where he's 28.6% from the three-point range this season. It's a significant drop-off from 33.7% in his rookie year. There are only 13 players with a lower percentage in the entire NBA (min. 75 attempts).
Teams are starting to ignore Jones on the wing to cramp space for Ingram and McCollum, who are being forced into 4 vs. 5 isolation situations late in the shot clock. Even though Not on Herb hasn't been on target from three-point range, his basketball IQ is too high to keep on the bench. Jones is one of the best defenders in the world and can still be lethal when used in the right offensive situations.
Since Jones knows every position, Green decided to make a change down 95-94 in Portland. Jones played the final 9:04 of the fourth as a small-ball five, camping out in the dunker's spot and setting screens on offense while corralling Damian Lillard on the other end. New Orleans won the rest of the quarter 26-15 in a runway 121-110 road win.
Lillard had 8 points (3/6), a turnover, and no assists in those final 9 minutes. Fighting through Dyson Daniels and Naji Marshall just to run into Jones kept Lillard off balance all night. It was a Herb Jones screen for Trey Murphy III's three-pointer that all but sealed the deal in Portland.
“Herb was great,” Green said after beating the Trail Blazers. “We have to use him like that at times and not just have him in the corner offensively. Putting him in pick-and-roll, allowing him to dive, allowing him to initiate plays at times. Right now is a time where we have to make adjustments. That’s what myself and our staff have been doing. We’re looking at the film and saying, ‘How can we create offense for ourselves?’ Tonight, it was good to see us break through.”
The experiment is still a work in progress. The Pelicans let a winnable game slip away against the Golden State Warriors, getting outscored 26-21 in the fourth quarter even though Jones played most of those minutes as the de facto center.
"Our ability to guard (and) switch multiple screens is important," Green said after Friday's loss to the defending champion Warriors. "Especially against a team like this. We just have to continue to throw different looks at teams. (Jones at the five) was one of them."
There are no moral victories this late in the season, but this tactic has obvious value to be gained even when Williamson and Nance Jr. return to action.
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