How Perry Jones III Can Make Presence Felt with Banged-Up Oklahoma City Thunder
The time has finally come for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Perry Jones III to show the world what he can do.
After barely seeing the floor during his first two seasons in the league, Jones "earned" this opportunity by being one of the few Thunder players still standing after a preseason marred by injuries. With Kevin Durant out until at least December following foot surgery, PJ3 gets to moonlight as the team's starting small forward.
Jones is looking forward to making the most of his chance, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
"It's a great opportunity," Jones said. "I got to step up to the challenge. That's a big spot to fill. So I need to step up to the challenge and just take it on head-on."
With most of the Thunder's roster riding the pain train, Jones needs to make his presence felt. The team needs role players to step up to fill the void left by all of those injuries. To his credit, Jones finished the preseason strong, scoring a combined 41 points in his final two games.
Now he will embark on the greatest opportunity he's ever received as a pro. He gets a six-to-eight-week trial to show that he belongs in Oklahoma City.
Contribute On Offense
The Thunder's recent string of injuries has sapped a good chunk of the team's offensive firepower. Durant (foot), Anthony Morrow (knee) and Mitch McGary (foot) are all sidelined until at least December. Now, point guard Russell Westbrook is added to that list after suffering a small fracture in his hand during the team's 93-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 30, per Mayberry.
Super-reserve Reggie Jackson (ankle) and guard Jeremy Lamb (back) are also nursing injuries but should be back soon. Still, the Thunder's offense has now become Serge Ibaka and not much else.
That's where Jones comes in.
His unique set of skills could turn him into one of the Thunder's sneakiest weapons. He's 6'11" and 235 pounds with a sweet outside stroke (36.1 percent shooting from three last season) and the ability to handle the ball like a guard. In the team's loss to the Clippers, Jones led the Thunder in scoring with 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting (3-of-6 from three).
In this highlight reel from Jones' breakout performance, you'll see a lot of what the big man can do. The video opens up with Jones putting his size to good use by backing down his man in the post before converting the short jumper.
At the 35-second mark, Jones sets up in the corner and nails the three. That aspect of his game will be particularly key for the Thunder going forward. With Durant and Morrow out, Oklahoma City's only consistent three-point threat is Ibaka, who converted 38.3 percent of his attempts from behind the arc last season.
Jones' presence now gives the Thunder two big guys who can space the floor.
At the 1:22 spot, Jones gets the ball at the top of the key and blows by Matt Barnes for the layup. On this play, Jones really shows off both his speed and his ability to score off the dribble. He handles the ball remarkably well for a guy his size.
Lastly, at the 2:10 mark, Steven Adams dumps the ball to Jones in the paint. He posts up, takes one big step toward the basket, then finishes between two Clippers for the score.
The theme throughout the clip is versatility. Jones' ability to score in a variety of ways comes in handy for a team in desperate need of buckets. With Westbrook out, Jones should emerge as the No. 2 option behind Ibaka. At worst, he's the third wheel when Jackson comes back.
Regardless, the skids are greased for Jones to put up career numbers. Per 36 minutes, Jones is projected to finish the season with an average of 17.5 points and five rebounds per game.
The trick will be consistency. If he can keep the momentum going, he could make a profound impact by keeping the Thunder afloat until the team returns to full strength.
Stay Healthy
The best thing Perry Jones can do for the Thunder is stay healthy.
That may be stating the obvious, but durability has become especially important for Oklahoma City given recent events. Jones had his own injury scare recently when he sat out of an Oct. 25 practice with a sore knee.
Knee troubles have haunted Jones dating back to his college days at Baylor. It played a large part in Jones' 2012 draft slide, with a scout telling Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis that Jones' knees would only hold up for "three-four years."
Jones underwent arthroscopic surgery this past July to fix his troublesome right knee. He also missed the team's preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets due to soreness. Fortunately, the knee wasn't a problem for the rest of his exhibition games.
Jones' ability to stay upright certainly helps the team in the short term. Beyond him, the team's only other small forward is Lance Thomas. Jones will need to play heavy minutes for a team that has just eight healthy players at the moment.
Long term, Jones can be a solid option coming off the bench. When Durant returns, the team will likely lean on him much like they have the past seven seasons. With Jones behind him, the Thunder now have quality depth at the position that they didn't have before.
That will be especially important during the postseason. Last year, a lack of depth hurt the Thunder in the playoffs, particularly after Ibaka went down with a calf injury prior to facing the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
With Jones stepping up, that becomes less of a problem.
Evolve Defensively
With so much of the team's offensive potential affected by injuries, the team will need to play stellar defense to stay afloat.
"One of the ways to improve your team and make up for loss offensively is to play even better defensively and reduce the net rating between the offense and the defense,” said Thunder general manager Sam Presti, per Mayberry. “That’s always been a focus for us."
In Ibaka, Jones and center Steven Adams, the Thunder have one of the tallest frontcourts in the league. Adams is an athletic 7-footer with a 7'4" wingspan. Ibaka is 6'10" and has led the league in total blocks in each of the last four seasons. Jones is 6'11" with an 8'4" standing reach.
With the team in a constant state of flux during the preseason, the defense suffered. Oklahoma City gave up an averaged of 110.8 points per game in exhibition. That's a far cry from the 99.8 points the Thunder allowed last season.
For the team to improve defensively, they'll need Jones to make strides. Of the Thunder's projected starting five (Adams, Ibaka, Jones, Roberson, Westbrook), Jones is the least-proven defender of the bunch.
Jones had quite a few defensive lapses in the season opener against Portland, as Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman pointed out: "It’s only one game, but Jones looked lost. In 31 minutes, he finished 1-of-9 shooting with three points, three rebounds and zero assists. Mostly invisible on offense, he was exploited a number of times on defense."
One of Jones' more infamous defensive mishaps can be seen here, when Trail Blazers forward Nic Batum left him on the floor en route to nailing a mid-range jumper.
Jones doesn't need to be the second coming of Bruce Bowen, but the Thunder can't afford for him to be a walking turnstile either. With so many of the team's scorers hurt, getting out in transition and turning defense into offense becomes a priority.
For at least the next six weeks, Jones won't have to worry about looking over his shoulder or pining for consistent minutes. While it may not have been the most ideal of circumstances, the small forward job is his.
It's now up to him to make the best of it. While it's next to impossible to replace someone like Kevin Durant, Jones' uncanny skill set will allow him to be a passable stunt double. He has the size, speed, shooting touch and handles to be a Lamar Odom clone.
A breakout season for the 23-year-old is certainly possible. At the very least, Jones should be able to put up the best numbers of his career.
The Thunder have allowed him to collect dust for two seasons. It's time to show them that was a mistake.
All statistics courtesy of BasketballReference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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