Herb Jones’ blossoming offense gives potent Pelicans another card to play: ‘Work never lies’

From the moment they started playing together, there was something about Herb Jones that drove Trey Murphy crazy.

Murphy, the New Orleans Pelicans’ 2021 No. 17 overall pick, could immediately tell Jones, his rookie classmate drafted 18 spots later, would become a transcendent perimeter stopper. He marveled at the defensive wizardry that would soon spawn the “NOT ON HERB” catchphrase.

But Murphy, who came in as one of the top shooters in his draft class, was equally passionate about something his new teammate wasn’t doing — and didn’t hesitate to let him know.

“He’d be wide open, but he would not shoot the ball,” Murphy recalled.

Jones, unselfish by nature, had made it this far even without being much of a 3-point shooter during his high school or collegiate days. He made a total of 34 3-pointers in four seasons at Alabama, including just one his entire junior season. He didn’t need a consistent 3-point shot to become the SEC Player of the Year or a permanent fixture in the Pelicans’ starting lineup.

Yet even as Jones established himself as a stopper, he saw opponents leaving him all alone on the other end of the floor, showing a level of “disrespect” he had never experienced in his career.

“I never played against anybody that would just not guard me,” Jones told The Athletic. “There was nobody else to point the finger at but myself. I just had to go in and work on my weaknesses.”

That’s precisely what Jones has done ever since. In the quiet of empty gyms, outside of the view of cameras, Jones, with the help of Pelicans assistant coach and shooting guru Fred Vinson, has spent countless hours over the past three years working on his jumper and building up his confidence on the perimeter. The results didn’t come initially — Jones shot just 34 percent from 3 as a rookie, then dipped to 33 percent during a difficult sophomore campaign that emboldened more teams to ignore him on the perimeter. But Jones didn’t get down on himself. He just returned to the place where he’s always found comfort: the practice gym.

“I always say the work never lies,” Jones said. “I knew it was going to be a process. I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight. I wasn’t really affected by the immediate results. I knew if I just kept working, I’d figure something out.”

Now, in his third NBA season, Jones is seeing the fruits of his labor. He’s up to 42.9 percent from 3 this season. Since Jan. 1, he’s making a scorching 53.6 percent of his 3s, the top mark among players with at least 75 attempts over that span. If he keeps up his current pace, Jones is set to join Jrue Holiday and DeMarcus Cousins as the only players in Pelicans history with at least 100 3-pointers, 75 steals and 50 blocks in the same season.

Jones is already one of the top defenders in the league. Just ask Indiana All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who went scoreless in 22 minutes with Jones enveloping him in Friday’s 129-102 Pelicans victory. Now that Jones has transformed from a non-threat who acted like it to one of the most accurate spot-up shooters in the game, he is becoming one of the premier two-way role players in the league. And he’s doing it in the first season of a four-year, $54 million contract that will eventually pay him less than the midlevel exception with the salary cap likely rising significantly after a new national television deal begins in 2025.

“Above anything else, the guy is a worker. No one could ever question his commitment to the game,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “It’s no shock to us to see him improve as much as he has this season because he’s done what it takes to get those results.”

This level of commitment wasn’t anything new for Jones. He’s always seen the practice gym as his sanctuary to settle his mind and sharpen his skills. But to get to the next level, he knew he needed to make a few tweaks to his shooting motion.

Over the last three seasons, Jones and Vinson have spent countless hours together in the Pelicans’ facility working to pinpoint those details. They also regularly met up at the Smoothie King Center the night before home games, getting additional shots up so Jones gets a better feel for the arena.

Vinson has spent 15 years fine-tuning players’ jumpers in New Orleans, with Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball among his most notable students. Vinson stressed to Jones the need to have a more consistent base when setting up to shoot, ensuring Jones wouldn’t lean forward or backward while letting the ball go. He moved Jones’ release point to above the head instead of pushing forward from the chest. Vinson also drilled Jones on keeping the ball on the left side of his body when he shot instead of bringing it over from the right side, something Vinson also did to help Ball eliminate the hitch in his shot. 

As Jones has grown more comfortable with his shooting motion, his confidence on the court has skyrocketed. He’s ditched his usually quiet on-court demeanor more often to bark at the crowd after makes. When teams do leave him open, he doesn’t hesitate to let defenders know the days of him being the weak link on offense are over.

“I love it when he starts talking a little bit out there. It gets all of us hype,” Ingram told The Athletic. “He gives all of us confidence when he’s feeling it because we know he’s gonna bring it on both ends. That intensity he brings is good for us as a team.”

The rest of Jones’ diverse offensive game has, in turn, come out of its shell. He’s a tremendous threat in transition, using his long strides, patented Euro step and strong finishing ability at the rim with either hand. Even when he doesn’t have his shot going, he’s capable of grabbing a defensive rebound at any moment, going the length of the court and creating a bucket for himself or others. Per Synergy Sports, Jones leads the Pelicans with 216 points in transition this season, well ahead of second-place Zion Williamson (167).

Beyond his shooting, Jones also continues to use his smarts and passing to add value in half-court settings. When teams try to put lesser defenders on Jones, the Pelicans will often use him as the screener for Williamson or Ingram to force a switch. The Pacers tried to hide Haliburton on Jones early in Friday’s game, even using their star to trap the ball so he wouldn’t have to switch onto one of the Pelicans’ leading scorers. But that just gave Jones space to pick Indiana apart as the short roller at the free-throw line, as he did here to create a dunk for Williamson on the first possession of the game.

Green has even allowed Jones to orchestrate with the ball at times when the Pelicans’ offense gets stagnant. In those moments, Jones has grown more comfortable getting downhill in pick-and-roll situations and making the correct read.

“We’re putting him everywhere,” Green said. “He’s handling the ball. He’s setting screens. Teams are trying to put their so-called worst defender on him, and we’re putting him in actions so they can’t hide guys. Wherever we put him on the floor, he picks it up quickly. It’s great to see Herb play with this type of confidence.”

As the Pelicans try to lock in a guaranteed top-six playoff spot in the deep Western Conference, it should be no surprise Jones’ game has picked up as the intensity of playoff basketball has come to the forefront. Since Jan. 1, the Pels have outscored opponents by 187 points with Jones on the court, the 14th-best single-player mark in the league. Eight of the 14 players above him made the All-Star team this season. Three others (James Harden, Brook Lopez and Jarrett Allen) were All-Stars in the past.

Jones’ defense, particularly against the game’s elite perimeter scorers, was already crucial to the Pelicans’ ability to compete in a playoff setting. As long as they employ high-octane scorers like Williamson, Ingram and CJ McCollum to lead the offense, the Pelicans will need Jones’ defensive mentality. But its his blossoming offensive game, spurred by all the work he’s put into improving his jumper, that makes Jones the type of 3-and-D player every great team needs to balance its roster.

“When Herb plays with that confidence, it’s important for our team,” Ingram said. “We’ve got a lot of talent on the floor. When he’s showing all the different parts of his game. It kinda brings everything together for us.”

His improvement makes the contract he signed last summer even more of an asset as the Pelicans map out a long-term future that already features significant financial commitments to Williamson, Ingram and McCollum. Jones could’ve waited until this upcoming summer to hit free agency with hopes of cashing out, but he elected for the security of that four-year deal last summer to commit to finishing what he started in New Orleans.

Because of that, the Pelicans will pay him far less annually ($13 million next season) than defensive-minded contemporaries like Denver’s Aaron Gordon ($22.8 million), Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels ($22.5 million), Houston’s Dillon Brooks ($22.2 million), Memphis’ Marcus Smart ($19.9 million), Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort ($16.5 million) and others. Not having to pay Jones upwards of $20 million a year gives the Pels more flexibility to build out the rest of the roster and keep other core pieces like Murphy and perhaps Jose Alvarado once it’s time for them to get paid.

The only question left is how much more room Jones has left to grow. After all, even the biggest Herb Jones optimists on the planet, like Murphy, couldn’t have anticipated he’d become a 43 percent 3-point shooter by his third season as a pro.

One thing is certain when it comes to Jones, though: His desire to keep improving won’t slow down anytime soon.

(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)