James Jones was one of the Portland Trail Blazers' most important role players of the 2007-08 season. Jones had a prolific first half of the year, leading the NBA in three-point field goal percentage. A knee injury sustained in early February took him out of contention from the race, but it was widely recognized that he would have finished the season as the NBA's best three-point shooter.
Instead of exercising his player option that would have kept him in a Blazers uniform and paid him a handsome $3.1 million, he chose to test the waters of free agency. Being a South Florida native, he signed a five-year, $23 million (roughly) contract with the Miami Heat, where he will team up with Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, and newly drafted Michael Beasley.
His 8.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game don't reflect on what an asset he really is. Although it's a stale phrase, "stats aren't everything" perfectly applies to a player like Jones. He doesn't need big minutes to make his contribution; he gave Portland a huge boost while only playing 22.0 minutes per game.
The reason for his outstanding value despite so few minutes comes from his style of play. While players like Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge are putting up big numbers in points, assists and rebounds, Jones is doing the little things that are needed but far too often overlooked. His free-throw percentage is a sterling 88 percent, and he always seems to make spectacular plays that aren't recorded on the stat sheet.
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Although Jones' great percentage from the charity stripe seems like his best stat after his accuracy from beyond the arc, there is one that truly stands out above the rest. It's hard for people who don't regularly watch Trail Blazers games to understand Jones' value. Let's take a look at the Blazers' overall record in relation to Jones' playing time:
- Record when James Jones played over 24 minutes: 22-6
- Record when James Jones played under 24 minutes: 19-35
As you can clearly see above, the Blazers won much more frequently when Jones was on the floor. A simple correlation emerges from this analysis: When Jones plays well, the Blazers play well. His constant three-point threat kept defenses honest and took pressure off players like Aldridge and Joel Pryzbilla. He was pivotal during the Blazers' improbable 13-game win streak, averaging a monster 52.5 percent from long range.
While all of these on-the-court skills that Jones brings to the table are useful, it's his off-the-court reputation that sets him apart. Jones' personality is exactly what the Blazers front office has been looking for to shed the "Jail Blazer" image.
The additions of Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez and Jerrod Bayless will improve the Blazers' record, but the loss of Jones will be sorely missed. Although the Blazers roster is full of character guys and great locker-room personalities, no one has the same ability that Jones did from behind the three-point line.
The most likely candidate to fill his shoes is Martell Webster, but consistency has been an issue for the 2005 sixth-overall pick. Another is Fernandez, who was known to be a great shooter in the Euroleague, though that's not guaranteed to translate to the NBA.
Kudos to the Miami Heat for a great pick-up. As a Blazers fan, it is sad to see such a quality player and individual go, but that's how the business works.
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about 1 month ago
Good article. Jones has always been a quality two-way player.
about 1 month ago
Portland will be fine without Jones. I believe Pritchard and co. let him go because of four things.
First, Both Outlaw and Webster have been imrpoving their distance shooting on the off-season. Webster in particular was already fair from range...I hear now he's much better.
Second, Rudy Fernandez can stroke it. Plus he's not one dimensional like Jones was.
Third, Portland won't need to rely on the three as much this year because they are going to be deadly inside, with Oden and Aldridge, and now with Roy and Bayless cutting and driving. Fernandez, Outlaw and Webster can help keep the other guys honest.
Finally, if you think about it, where would Jones play on this roster? He's a small forward...that's it. He's not going to start ahead of Webster or Outlaw. I won't be surprised to see Fernandez play at SF some this year too. Last year we could slide him in occasionally by moving someone to guard. This year, we can't do that. We have big time quality players in the 2 position. I really like Jones, and he's quality, but there was simply no room left for him.
All of that said, Jones is a quality role player and one of the good guys off the court. Portland will miss him.
from about 1 month ago
I agree with most of your points, except for the one where you say "portland won't need to rely on the three as much...". You can never say no to a good three point shooter, especially 1 as good as James Jones. If you look at the TS%, his 3-pt shooting really pushes him ahead of guys with high 2-pt fg percentages. In fact, the inside punch from Oden+Aldridge only adds to the value of a guy like Jones, who was a consistent threat. Now, it doesn't matter how powerful Oden is or how smooth Aldridge plays as much as whether we have guy that can knock down the 3 consistently, and Martell is not very consistent. Hopefully things work out though, or we will be in trouble next year when teams collapse around the lane because they can afford to not play baseline perimeter D.
about 1 month ago
This is my point. Last year, we didn't have much power down low. So naturally teams could cheat their defenses and look for our strengths. They won't be able to do that this season.
You've heard the phrase, "live by the three, die by the three", right? In particular that is true if we make the playoffs. Nobody's suggesting we don't need a strong ouside presence. If we don't have that, they'll just sag off the perimeter and the bigs are going to find it that much more difficult. But - and this is where I think we're fine - we should be fine from the outside. Fernandez is reportedly a very, very good outside shooter. I've read several accounts about how Webster AND Outlaw are both going to be better shooters/ball handlers and defenders this season. Webster in particular has reportedly improved his shot from distance. If true, we could see that potential finally start to really pay off. Finally, don't forget about Roy. He shouldn't be our primary long threat, but he's plenty dangerous enough to knock down the 3 and keep the defenses honest.
All of that said...we will more than hold our own from the bonus real estate territory. Like I said, we will miss Jones, but our team will be fine without him.
about 1 month ago
You both make valid points.
I believe; however, that you have to look long term (at least two years down the road, anyway). James Jones is James Jones, we're not going to see him any better than he was last year, in fact I would go as far as saying that will be the best year he ever has. Last year he shot 44.4% from three point range as opposed to his prior career AVG of 38.5%. That's almost 6% higher (seems like an anomaly to me). I know three point shooting wasn't his only contribution, but it was his primary one. He is 28 years old and has never averaged more than 23 minutes per night as an NBA player in his 5 seasons. 88% FT shooting is nice, but he only shot 98 (compared to BRoys 215), and high free throw shooting percentages aren't as key when you don't make it to the line that much.
I will miss James Jones, but I definitely don't see the upside with him, that I see with Martell and Outlaw and they are both still so young. They need the playing time. 08-09 is not about winning, though I'd love to see them win, it's about figuring out how this puzzle all fits together. Shaking out the dust and seeing what remains as gold. We definitely have some gold to discover, but it's hard to see for sure where it's going to come from. The young ones with upside need to play and with the departure of Jack (who wasn't actually very old) and Jones there will be more time to see who Outlaw, Webster, Bayless, Sergio, and hopefully Koponen (sign him, please) really are.
about 1 month ago
I completely agree with your assessment of Jones' impact on the Blazers...the Blazers are a young team that needs a veteran piece to play a key role as the nucleus continues to grow. All young teams need a veteran to keep things in check. The Hornets brought in guys like Morris Petersen and Mike James midseason to go along with a young nucleus of CP3, West, and Chandler. The Blazers would benefit by having a veteran be the "glue guy" for the younger guys to learn from.
There was a rumor about Travis Outlaw for Shane Battier straight up. If that's true, I'd jump all over that if I'm Portland. Battier would be a huge piece for such a young core and can help shut down the Kobes and the CP3s in the postseason.
from about 1 month ago
The thing about the Battier for Outlaw trade is kind of complicated. I know for all non-Blazer fans it's easy to make that trade, but Outlaw is a fan favorite; people would be really mad if we got rid of him. Most believe if we did trade him, he would go all Jermaine O'Neal on us and turn into an all-star as soon as he left.
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