When asked to discuss his individual accomplishments or goals, New Orleans third-year wing Herb Jones has never seemed very comfortable, preferring to shift conversation to what it will take for the Pelicans to win games. Although there are a few data points that illustrate how effective Jones has been on the defensive end early in the 2023-24 regular season, he’s probably much more satisfied by a team-specific number: 93.6.
That’s New Orleans’ defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions, via NBA.com) through two games, best in the NBA entering Sunday's action. In the modern NBA, where offenses generally dominate, 93.6 is an outlier – Cleveland was No. 1 in the league last season at 109.9. Of course, it’s only a two-game sample, and Pelicans opponents Memphis and New York missed their share of jumpers, going a combined 19/80 from three-point range, but New Orleans and Jones are off to a superb start at that end of the floor. One of those 61 misses from beyond the arc was a Jones block of New York’s RJ Barrett, one of three rejections vs. the Knicks by the 25-year-old from Alabama. In addition to his three swats, he helped to hound Knicks top guard Jalen Brunson into a 4/14 shooting night, while forward Julius Randle was 4/15. New York scored just 12 first-quarter points, then bookended that with only 19 in the fourth period.
Willie Green on Herb Jones' defense, upcoming game vs. Warriors 10/29/23
“Herb was phenomenal,” Pelicans third-year coach Willie Green said of his defense. “He’s so key to our team. We’re putting him on (opposing) best players, no matter who they are, and he’s taking the challenge. He’s a special defensive player. His instincts are incredible.”
“I mean, that’s what Herb does,” forward Zion Williamson said. “He’s steadily improving. Somehow he’s improving on defense, which I didn’t think was possible. He’s improving on offense as well.”
“It’s something he does every single night,” forward Brandon Ingram echoed. “It’s something we love to see.”
Notes from Sunday’s practice:
Green on Monday’s game vs. Golden State: “It’s a multiple-effort game against those guys. They play fast, they’re going to get up a ton of threes. Rebounding will be important for us. When they miss long, (there are) long rebounds. You just can’t relax. Steph (Curry), Klay (Thompson), now adding Chris (Paul), those guys are moving the ball, they relocate. You can’t relax against this team. You’ve got to keep them on their heels with being efficient offensively, making simple plays over and over again.” …
Asked about how odd it will be to see Paul in a Golden State uniform Monday, after years of Paul playing against the Warriors on other Western Conference teams, CJ McCollum said, “It will be a little weird, but he’s one of the best players to ever play the game. A Hall of Famer. Smart, heady player. And he’s very familiar with Louisiana.”