With Willie Green at the head of the team as rookie coach, New Orleans moved forward by managing to grab a place in the “play-in” and then in the playoffs, despite Zion Williamson’s white season.
With Jose Alvarado (and others), Herb Jones embodied this revival with the ardor and freshness of a rookie. On arrival, his progress was also one of the great satisfactions of the campaign.
A faculty of adaptation during exercise
The young winger notably showed his aggressiveness in defense, with a total of 130 interceptions and 60 blocks. This is a first in the history of the franchise: no player had yet reached these figures in a rookie season (Anthony Davis had stopped at 187 in total during his rookie season).
“It was important to me, just showing up every day and wanting to improve, no matter how the day before went, or what was going on. We showed what we had in the belly and we continued to do the job., he recently explainedbefore discussing the evolution of its role during the year. “For me, the adjustment was figuring out how to complement the guys on the team, and figuring out what the other guys wanted to do in certain situations. Learn which spots each other wanted to reach”.
This is undoubtedly what emerged, beyond his physical and technical capacities: this ability to adapt to the needs of the team, especially after the exchange which brought in CJ McCollum. “Before the exchange, I had started to find my place around December. Then after the exchange, it was around the “play-in” match that I managed to adapt to my new teammates”.
Game time and the playoffs as icing on the cake
A decisive factor in the Pelicans’ successful end to the season, CJ McCollum also acknowledged the contribution of his rookie, emphasizing his attacking game.
“Herb has progressed well. He had the talent, the ability and he had the opportunity to show what he had to offer. Not only in defense, but also in attack with his drive, his aggressiveness in transition, his creativity in the finish… Everything that made it possible to show his versatility”, indicated the back.
As a bonus, Herb Jones was able to learn from the field rather than watching others play. He will remember for a long time his face-to-face with Kevin Durant, the player who gave him the most trouble. “He plays like a fullback despite being over two meters tall. He pushed me to the fault”.
The experience of the postseason will also have been invaluable. Not content with allowing him to progress even further, she whetted his appetite for the future.
“I think we were able to go further, but it ended sooner than we would have liked”he slipped following the setback against the Suns in six games, from which the Pels however came out with honors.