I think Jones has been awesome this year. Total steal at #18. On offense, however, his halfcourt game seems entirely predicated on the defender closing out on his jumper, which allows him to penetrate and wreak havoc. The problem is that Jones' jumper is shaky at best. In the playoffs, I believe teams will prepare more and realize that Jones won't be able to hit that jumper. They'll stop closing out and dare Jones to shoot. I predict Jones will really struggle to contribute offensively in the halfcourt unfortunately.
We Blazer fans are planning to have his friends in Portland take him out clubbing when he's back home and then pass him by a homeless guy or two.
His ability to defend any player in the Blazers' starting five is a much bigger concern. In the regular season against Portland he only played 49 minutes across 3 games due to the Aldridge mismatch, and the Rockets were a ridiculous -45 in those 49 minutes. PF matchup will not be pretty no matter what. D-Mo, who would already be less than ideal against LMA, is playing possibly the worst ball of his career. Casspi wouldn't achieve any more than Jones defensively, and while the Rockets have previously scored well against Portland with Casspi at 4, I would be absolutely horrified to pin my playoff hopes on him. Twin Towers may end up being the most useful lineup.
Offensively is the least of my worries for Jones. We have enough scorers on this team. If he can do a decent job defending LMA, I'll be happy
its more to halfcourt TEAM PLAYOFF offense than that, I wish it was that easy tho:grin: -the op broke down the jumpshot situation -howard/double teams -packing paint for harden drives
Funny. I'm not too worried about his offense in the playoffs. Blazers will have their hands full with Dwight and Harden...TJones should be able to capitalize when the attention shifts towards them. TJones has done a good job of moping up all year long, so I expect him to get at least 4-6 points a night just by getting to rebounds after Dwight is doubled.
IB4 dobro14229from3 rants that we ain't gonna win a championship anyways so we might as well let Jones develop.
It's not just Portland he struggled against. It seems like he has struggled against many of the top teams. I've noticed many of his best games came against weak competition. Although oddly enough, he's played very well against San Antonio.
Hahahahah that is hilarious. Maxiep- I would like for you to tell me three things that you think need to happen for the Blazers to win the series. One thing that I do not like about the Blazers and there chances in this series, is the fact that Lilliard and Aldridge seem to take too many tough shots. Going against a Rockets offense that is very efficient and plays better defense than many give it credit for, will the Blazers be able to keep up?
Jones thrives off his athletic ability. He lacks the fundamentals to beat more athletic players. He struggles against Ibaka and Griffin, two of the most athletic 4's in the league.
Spurs didn't run a front line of Duncan/Splitter out there against him. Don't worry. If we make it to the 2nd round to play them, they will. And he'll look against them the same way he looked against all the other double big lineups...turrible.