When the Dallas Mavericks beat out the Miami Heat in free agency for Derrick Jones Jr.’s services over the summer, they new they were getting a smart veteran defender who is also a lob threat. What they probably didn’t know was that they’d be getting a 20-point outing from him in just his third game with the team.
The Mavs defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on the road Monday, 125-110, and with Kyrie Irving sidelined due to a foot sprain, it was Jones who assumed the role of being Luka Doncic’s co-star for the night. He finished the night with 22 points and four rebounds while shooting 7-10 from the field and 4-6 from deep. It was just the third time in Jones’ career where he was able to reach the 20-point mark.
“For me personally, I have put in a lot of work behind the scenes,” Jones said after the game. “For this far in my career, I haven’t got the recognition that I think I deserve, and I feel like this year is just going to be the year. I’m going to shoot the ball whenever I get open shots, drive whenever I get the open lane, and play simple basketball.”
After not providing much offensively through the first two games, many questioned whether or not head coach Jason Kidd had made the right decision having Jones start ahead of fourth-year wing Josh Green. On Monday, Jones showed us exactly what the Mavs see in him and what their vision for him is this season.
“He made all the threes,” Kidd said when asked about what he’s looking for in Jones as a starter. “We’re looking for him to be him. He's a pro. He's been in the league for a long time. He's still only 26. Defense is something that he enjoys doing, and he's improved on his game.
“I don't think he came into league as a shooter, but he's worked on his three, and you can see that tonight. There's going to be nights when he makes them, and there's going to be nights when he doesn’t, but it's about his competition or his competitiveness on the defensive end that we're watching. We know with Luka [Doncic] and Kyrie [Irving],everyone's going to get open shots, and it's just a matter of being consistent. We all trust that Derrick [Jones Jr.] is going to do that, and he did that tonight.”
It has only been three games, but Jones has already proven to be well worth the veteran’s minimum contract he signed with Dallas over the summer. The Mavs are off to their first 3-0 start since the 2004-05 season, and if Jones can continue to contribute the way he did on Monday, there will be many other milestones the team will reach for the first time in a long time.
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