I used to watch him play all the time, and he was awesome. He doesn't seem to be the same player anymore. What happened? Is it Pat Riley's system? 3 years ago I thought he was better than Allan Houston, Jerry Stackhouse, maybe even Latrell. But I saw him play last night, and he just didn't look the same. Anyone following the Heat in Miami? That team looks awful offensively. Their defense isn't bad, but their execution on offense is terrible. Both Brian Grant and Eddie Jones used to be such solid offensive players. Is it Riley's system?
Eddie Jones is coming off a solid year to the tune of 18.3 ppg (which is up almost a point from the prevoius year), 4.7 rpg, 3.2 apg. This year he is down some in scoring at 16 ppg, but his rebounding and assist numbers are close to the same. I'd say those are pretty standard numbers for Eddie Jones, considering he's only had one season (99-00) where he averaged over 20 ppg. If anything, he's fallen off defensively. His steals numers are drastically down. I don't think Brian Grant was ever really considered solid on offense. Inconsistent at best. His rebounding is a different story however.
It's not so much his stats that I'm concerned about. It's his game. And I'm his biggest fan. I love his slashing, his ability to get to the rim, his grace in finishing. Few players move like him. But I don't see him playing the game the same way these days. (Well, in all honesty, I don't get to see that many Heat games where I live.) He stays on the perimeter a lot more. He's become a really good 3-point shooter, but I miss the way he used to go to the hole. (And I miss seeing his creativity on the fast break.) And, yeah, I miss the way he used to go after the ball. He even led the league in steals one year, I think. Maybe Paul Silas was a better coach for him. But it is still early in the season. Maybe once the team plays better, more opportunities will be there for Eddie to showcase his game.
Just wondering is he still a good defensive player? I mean I could remember Eddie Jones always being in the top in the league in steals. Does he still play tough defense like he use to?
