Luka Doncic comments Pelicans must be enthusiastic about Herb Jones Extension

In a recent interview with Jason Gay van The Wall Street JournalLos Angeles Lakers -Superster Luka Doncic named Herbert Jones and Marcus Smart as the defenders who caused him the “biggest headache”. It was a lot of praise from a five-time All-NBA First Team-Honoree where the New Orleans Pelicans would grin from ear to ear.

Fresh from signing Jones to an extension of three years, the Pelicans can continue with confidence, even knowing that the most uninhabited players in the NBA struggle to score against their top defender.

Jones has earned criticism of his defense, including an all-defensive first team Knik in 2023-24. A shoulder injury robbed him of an ideal follow-up campaign, but it is worth mentioning that he appeared weaker with his defense in 220 of his previous 264 games.

Doncic has been just as exuberant with his praise as everyone else, with comments that express his admiration for Jones from 2023.

Jones enters new territory as a player who is now effectively signed with a five -year contract, but if Doncic’s praise persistent praises, it is that he is worth the money.

Luka Doncic praises Herb Jones, calls him one of his “biggest headache”

Jones is highly regarded at the defensive end of the floor since he was at the university. He won sec player of the year and sec defensive player of the year in 2020-21, earned twice sec all-Defense Honors, and was even named the NBA All-smokie Second Team in 2021-22.

Although the last award could be attributed to any number of factors, it was the defense of Jones who made an immediate positive impression on the people around the association.

For four seasons, Jones has compiled career sides of 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 attacking boards, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.0 three -point field goal per match. He did this while photographing on a clip of .477/.366/.824.

Jones’ Jumper has sometimes been a bit hot and cold, but during his most recent healthy season in 2023-24 he shot 41.8 percent from outside the arch at 273 attempts.

That is the form that New Orleans probably believes that he can rediscover in 2025-26, when the franchise hopes that their general bad injury will take luck for the positive. In 2024-25, Jones was accompanied by people like Brandon Ingram, Dejounde Murray and Zion Williamson as important players who missed at least 50 games due to an injury.

Fortunately Jones should be able to make a complete recovery of shoulder surgery and now it will occur in a role that Pelican’s head of basketball operations Joe Dumars is quite known.

Before he became a title -winning director, Dumars won two championships and earned five selections for all defense as a player. Jones and Dumars are by no means copies of each other, but it is easy to see why one of Dumars’s first acts was to sign Jones by at least 2029.

If Doncic’s praise for what Jones has achieved so far is a sign of the coming things, the defensive bait of the Pelicans will continue to collect the rest of the decade.