What is there to really study? Other than a wide open 3 pointer here and there, he is getting most of his points by being opportunistic. He is cutting to the basket, getting offensive rebounds, and running the floor hard in transtition. Those are what I call garbage buckets. They aren't running plays for him. He is going and getting it all on hustle. That is the best thing in my opinion about what he is doing. It isn't gimmicky. This isn't a hot shooting stretch from the 3 point line like Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson. He is focusing on defense, rebounding, and blocking shots.The other things are just coming along with being on the floor and playing hard and off the other guys on the team. He hasn't even really started playing the way he likes to play yet which is bringing the ball up the court and getting to that left hand. I also think having Howard on the team has given him the blueprint how to use his athletic ability and wingspan to play help defense. I see a difference in the way he protects the rim now and knowing when to come help and how to recover. I think he is trying to emulate some of the things he sees Howard doing defensively and is looking pretty darn good in the process.
If he is able to consistently get around 10 rebounds and a couple of blocks to go along with that, I would be perfectly fine with that.
Another very good game for Jones. Seems to me that he finally figured out what he should do on this team. Last year he had a ton of problems figuring out what to do and settling for horrible jumpshots or passing it away. Now you can see his decision making at a totally different level. VERY excited about his potential. Dare I say, Morey finally found his PF after drafting like 342213 of them? Here's hoping DD or CXbby don't make a thread on Jones.
Something about NBA team play has finally clicked on his head. I was very pleased with how he has been playing since he got the starting nod. Personally, I questioned whether he could do it or end up been another athletic freak without the NBA IQ to do it. I sure am happy to be wrong. BTW, if Jones can do it let's not write off D-Mo either. He could end up being a good NBA player as well and would help us tremendously off the bench if he puts it all together. His last showing was very promising before Omer came back.
So I asked this question in the game thread but if he could maintain this consistent production what would be a reasonable comparison for Jones?
I do recall seeing a Lamar Odom comparison after the draft. When i labelled him a lesser Howard, that was my silly attempt at cheering up the board after we had lost out on Howard to LA. At the time i really didn't picture him being the perfect fit next to Howard.
Not sure if anyone threw his stats up here but as a starter he's averaging 14 ppg, 9 rebs, and 2 blocks. Those are pretty dang close to Millsap numbers. Kid is 21 years old and his defense has definitely gotten better. Very excited about TJones.
Like he said, i think he has more than made up for Pats, Morris, Landry and Dorsey. Jones is only 21 and seems to have turned a corner in that Denver game. He will only get better and by doing so surpass all of Morey's past attempts.
When I heard he was starting I picked him off of fantasy. One of the best move ever. He's producing at a 2nd -3rd round pick level
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Man Jones is playing really well. Don't have to run any plays for him, he just drops 18-10-2 like its no big deal. No dumb fouls either. He is playing much better than I thought he would at this stage.
TJ's game is still raw, but it's been effective so far because of his energy and athleticism. I wish we could bring in a veteran PF to mentor him, like Elton Brand or Jermaine O'neal. They can show him how to operate in the high post, defend pick and rolls, face up game, etc.
One of the differences between Jones and the other undersized PF's Morey's drafted is that TJones blocks shots. None of the other guys was athletic enough to do this. Hell, TJones is probably so long that you can't even call him undersized anymore. Dude blocked two THREE POINT SHOTS in the Minny game. You have to be deceptively long and springy to do that. Not often you even see one blocked 3pter. We have on our hands another diamond in the rough. A non-punk Larry Sanders? Jones will always have the stomping, at least.
LOL Tjones is not undersized AT ALL. Dude's just an inch shorter than DH...that's not exactly undersized for the PF position. Anyway I've never been a fan of the whole stretch 4 idea. Everybody points to DH collecting 20-20's a night when he played with Anderson and Rashard Lewis but that success is always only in the regular season, when teams don't prepare (similar to Rose-led Chicago Bulls). However in the playoffs, teams have all the time in the world to pick you apart, and what always happens is they force the stretch 4 to beat you, and you don't really wanna depend on a big guy shooting 3's to save your team. Tjones IMHO is really amazing, his defense at such a young age (21?) is impressive, as is his ability to score buckets even if no play is called for him. Really versatile guy, he reminds me of a PF version of Lamar Odom. I think Morey struck gold on this guy, he looks like a top 5 pick.
If Jones continues to impress and develop he can be our Josh Smith, who we were considering adding to the mix. A smarter version at that too. Jones is not as athletic as Smith but I will gladly sacrifice a tiny bit of athleticism for a bucketful of working brain cells which Josh Smith severely lacks.
