Well he was the 18th pick in the draft and hasn't morphed into prime Kevin Garnett in his 2nd year. Total bust.
Jones was a good draft pick by the Rockets and is a rotation player at worst. He may become a good starting PF, but right now he is terrible defensively and does not have a good feel for the game.
He didn't say everyone, he said 2 or 3 LOL and I am surprised the main one hasn't commented on this thread yet. A new coach who thrives and preaches defense could help improve a 22 year old T. Jones. Milsap is 6'7 and is very strong, so he uses his lower center of gravity to keep bigger PF from pushing him around. Chuck Hayes used this same method. Now Milsap is not stopping the likes of Griffin, LMA, Randolph, Bosh, Love, or Duncan.
Yes, and unfortunately unless he takes a dramatic leap forward, we don't really have time to wait for him to turn into a good starter. I like him off the bench and as a trade asset. As a starter? Not so much.
If we got a solid 3rd option, say in the PG position, we don't need a lot out of our 4. All we'll need is: - Defense - Help rebounding - Viable 3pt shot We're not asking him to make a big jump, these are things he can realistically improve upon this summer
That's pretty much what I meant. I don't think that there is a general negative consensus about Jones. I think its more derived from a couple different posters, and they often seed peoples thoughts on him. Look, the PER # isn't the end all be all of course. IMO, I take it as... he was really good in the role he played last year & the team was better with him in his role offensively. In his role he was very efficient as he played within himself with high efficiency shots, was very low turnover, and high assist for a PF. Needless to say, he played within himself. -We all know there are weaknesses with PER defensively that Jones is probably getting a pass for with this stat. I think Donatas has a higher potential impact defensively if, like you said, he can ever learn how to defend without fouling. Donatas might actually end up being the better fit for the starting lineup, but as of now its clear Jones was better last year. This year I think they will battle a little more for that spot. It also doesn't mean that he's a better player than a Millsap, Bosh, Z-Bo, etc. That's not the point of what I would try to say with this. What I would say is that despite everything, for this team, he was very good for us. The potential, upside, shooting, etc. arguments can be left for others to argue about. I simply would say there is a lot of evidence that would suggest he's going to get much better in 2 or 3 years. If they can't upgrade this year or next than IMO long term he might surpass most potential "upgrades" in 2 years anyways. So that's why I'm against short term minute upgrades such as an Ilyasova, or Jason Smith. There is no point in moving a player or players that will be worse than Jones in 2 years because of one attribute that might not even impact the WHOLE impact of that PF in that particular role.
Another strawman argument with the added sarcasm. Jones is useful off the bench. He is very efficient offensively even without the 3 point shot. He is above average on offensive glass. Rockets have two guys that I think are good backups, but very poor starters at the moment. I think Motiejunas's defensive deficiency (reaching in) is easier to fix than teaching Jones how to use his peripheral vision and track more than one thing at a time. Yes, Jones can be a force offensively in spurts and win games. I just don't think he's a guy you want out there playing 30 mpg in a playoff series against a team that has a PF that can exploit his lack of defensive awareness.
I'm not down on Jones per se, but I think he and DMo should be in sort of a platoon at PF with DMo getting the starts against the bigger PF's and Jones getting the starts against the smaller, more athletic PF's. There are just limitations to each of their games, both can be very useful if played properly. The Rockets failed to do so last year and it cost them in the playoffs.
He wasn't a good starter last season. Hmmm I disagree big time. This youngster stepped his game up several times last season in games we probably would have lost. He also don't have to take a dramatic leap forward because he has shown us great improvement from his rookie year to his sophomore year. Therefore, I am pretty sure he is putting in the work at the gym as we speak, so he could continue to improve his all around game.
Historically Players make a considerable jump offensively in their third year. I just wonder if he can improve his -1.91 DRPM. He was the worst defensive starting PF according to that metric.
OP, I think you're misinterpreting the possiblity of potentially trading him. Nobody really is down on him, as he does his job well for what he is. He's a good trading chip, as we are the team that finds, not pays. Furthermore, I think the hobo accosted him - as they do to most people.
A PF on this team, with Dwight and James Harden as the cornerstones, needs to be able to play defense and hit the open three. It's great that Terrence Jones can handle the ball and take it to the hoop in transition among the best at his position, but for the purposes of this team it's a luxury that we would gladly forsake in favor of a guy that couldn't do those things but could do one of the others. Enter DMo, who unbeknownst to peripheral Rockets fans was actually a plus defender in the post after the all-star break last year. Team defense still needs work, but he has the frame to certainly get better there and be plenty disruptive on drives to the hoop and as the helpside defender. I don't know if he will ever be a good three-point shooter, but he's pretty much at the same efficiency as TJones right now in that regard. The reason, again, that some of us support DMo more is because of that potential on defense. Terrence Jones thus far in his career has given no indication that he will be anything other than a poor defender. He has shown none of the flashes DMo has given us, and his frame doesn't inspire confidence in you that he could all of a sudden bulk up and suddenly figure things out.
You sir are correct. And Love couldn't hold TJ either. And the high powered power forwards in the west do not abuse TJ in the post they way they do Bosh. But because TJ doesn't get the ball much other power forwards don't really have to work on the defensive end. I think that will change with Parsons gone.
