New Orleans second-round draft pick Herbert Jones is only a few summer league practices into his NBA career, but he already appears to have a clear understanding of what’s going to earn him playing time at the professional level. The SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2020-21 at Alabama, Jones recognizes that although effective defenders don’t always receive media attention or instant adoration from fans, they’re beloved by coaches.
“I’m sure there are plenty of (players) in the league that can score, but if you can stop them from scoring, that’s huge,” Jones said after Sunday’s Pelicans practice in Las Vegas. “A lot of people don’t like playing defense, locking up at the defensive end. So for people that do love to play defense and lock people up, there are always minutes for those kinds of guys on championship teams.”
As New Orleans prepared for its Monday summer opener vs. Chicago (2 p.m. Central, ESPN2), part of the focus for Jones and fellow Pelicans draftee Trey Murphy was on adjusting defensively to the NBA. Murphy, the draft’s No. 17 overall pick, was described by analysts as a “3-and-D” prospect, after he shot over 40 percent from three-point range at Virginia, while accepting major defensive responsibility.
Like second-year Pelicans player Didi Louzada, Murphy will try to badger and slow down opposing wing scorers during the team’s five summer league games. Including the 6-foot-9 Murphy, the summer Pelicans have eight roster players between the heights of 6-5 and 6-9, potentially allowing for significant matchup flexibility.
“We have to set the tone defensively and just be the aggressor,” Murphy said of a team objective. “I feel like our team has a lot of versatile defenders and we’ll be able to wreak a lot of havoc at that end. A lot of guys are like size, so we’ll be to take (opponents) out of their actions with switching, and be able to guard with length. I’m really excited to see what happens at that end.”
New Orleans (31-41 last season) needs to make defensive upgrades after finishing No. 23 in efficiency, allowing 113.3 points per 100 possessions. The Pelicans did show some progress after the All-Star break, placing in the top 10 with a defensive rating of 110.4.
First-year head coach Willie Green, who is serving the same role throughout summer league, is emphasizing defensive competitiveness and ball movement on offense, making sure no one holds the ball longer than a split-second before deciding to shoot, pass or penetrate.
“Compete at a high level,” Green said of the Pelicans’ top priority in Las Vegas. “We’re emphasizing being a team that competes at a high level night in and night out. That’s number one. We want to really move the needle defensively. We want to see our guys go out, compete, defend and play free offensively.”