Herbert Jones is only in his second professional season in the NBA, but he plays the game like he is a seasoned veteran.
Jones is the type of player whose intelligence and hustle may not show up in the box score. He has an impact on winning as the ultimate glue guy on both ends of the floor, and he is able to make the type of plays that can help turn a contender into a champion.
That was never more clear than in the final few seconds of the Pelicans’ victory over the Thunder on Monday. Jones was utterly phenomenal to seal the deal with this sequence.
Herb Jones in 3 seconds.
Draw the charge.
Inbound off OKC's back.
Knock down 2 FT's and ice the game.Generational. pic.twitter.com/SrgU2LFqHy
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 29, 2022
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First, with 2.3 seconds on the clock, Jones drew a charge to force a turnover. It was his second charge of the night — and one of the many instances where he was disruptive. He also added 3 steals and 4 blocks.
This charge pumped up the home crowd as New Orleans got the ball back, and Jones was tasked with handling the inbound pass. Jones tried something incredibly bold: He threw the ball off the back of Oklahoma City’s Aleksej Pokusevski, then drew another foul to earn a trip to the free-throw line. He nailed them both.
Finally, at the charity stripe, Jones nailed both of his attempts to secure the win for the Pelicans. It was an absurd series of events for Jones, who also played phenomenal defense on Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander throughout the game.
This was the type of performance that will go down on Jones’ resumé when he lobbies for All-Defense consideration at the end of the season.
