The One Unexpected Pelicans Development From 1st Week of Season

Among the numerous issues so far this season, limiting one of their core players seems rather puzzling.

Now that the first week of the Pelicans' regular-season action has wrapped up, here's one development that seemingly came out of left field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Pelicans' 0-3 start to the season can be described in one word: disappointing. Over three games, the Pelicans had chances to win in the final moments of each game but squandered their opportunities. That issue carries over from last season, when New Orleans went 12-30 in clutch situations.

The one strange development in the first week of the season has been forward Herb Jones's limited playing time. Jones has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, playing in just 76 games during that stretch, but came into this season finally healthy and ready to contribute. Many viewed him as the prototypical Jamahl Mosley player because of his tough-nosed defense, but his playing time has been limited up to this point.

Herb Jones's lack of playing time has been a huge surprise

Jones averaged nearly 30 minutes per game in his career coming into this season, but in the first three games, he’s played only 17 minutes per contest. Jones has come off the bench in all three games, and Mosley has favored second-year guard Jeremiah Fears to pair with Dejounte Murray in the backcourt.

Given the Pelicans' immense struggles to guard opponents in the fourth quarter, leaving Jones off the floor makes little sense.

New Orleans’s opponents are averaging 36 points in the fourth quarter alone against the Pelicans, and opponent guards in particular are having their way offensively. In the season opener, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. Jones only recorded a minute in the final frame. Saturday night, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray scored a game-high 42 points on a night when Jones played just 16 minutes.

The former second-round pick was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2022, the only non-forward/center selected that season to the first team. Since Jones entered the league in 2021, the Pelicans have a +8.6 net rating when Jones is on the floor compared to when he’s off, per Databallr. The team’s defensive rating is +3.6 better when he’s playing.

The Pelicans are clearly better when Herb Jones is on the floor than when he isn't. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So what explains his limited playing time early this season?

Part of it could be Mosley prioritizing offensive versatility, since some of his biggest criticisms in Orlando were his stagnant offense. During his tenure with the Magic, Mosley’s offense ranked near the bottom half of the league, with his best season finishing 18th. Jones has struggled with his shot in the past couple of seasons, averaging just 30% from beyond the arc.

The team as a whole struggles to shoot from distance, so Mosley may be sidelining Jones for that reason.

A clear change to make

Still, Mosley’s best years in Orlando coincided with his teams being top-3 defensively. Similarly, under former head coach Willie Green, the Pelicans saw their most success when they ranked top 6 defensively. Mosley is a defensive-minded coach, so the focus needs to be on his strengths to address their defensive struggles in the clutch. That should include Jones in crucial late-game defensive situations. Teams have specifically targeted Fears in crunch time to create offensive advantages.

The Pelicans must even things up by playing better defensive lineups to get stops.

If the Pelicans want to turn around these early-season struggles, shelving an elite defensive wing below 20 minutes a night is unsustainable. Whether starting or closing games, expect Jones’ role to expand back toward the mid-20s as Mosley continues to reimagine his lineups.