Oklahoma City Thunder Have No Choice but to Find Real Role for Perry Jones III
Seldom-used forward Perry Jones III deserves better than a spot at the end of the Oklahoma City Thunder bench. With his size and skill set, the team needs to carve out a consistent role and find ways to unleash him. It would be huge for his confidence, which is key to him becoming the player he's shown flashes of being.
For the first two seasons of his career, Jones was an afterthought. Even with all of his talent, it was tough for him to find minutes behind a scoring machine like Kevin Durant. However, for a brief stretch this season, it looked like things were about to turn around for the 23-year-old.
Injuries forced the Baylor product into the starting lineup at the beginning of the season. He responded to his first big break by averaging 17.7 points in his first four games. He also shot 45.4 percent from the floor, including 35 percent from three.
Then, Jones suffered a knee contusion midway into an early-November clash with the Toronto Raptors, and it was back to square one. After initially being listed as day-to-day, he would go on to miss close to a month of action. When he returned on Dec. 9, his big breakout seemed like a thing of the past.
Jones' comeback happened not long after Durant's, which made playing time scarce, even with KD on a temporary restriction. In the five games since his return, Jones has played a total of 51 minutes, including notching a DNP-Coach's Decision against the Cleveland Cavaliers. There have been episodes of The Newsroom that lasted longer than PJ3's time on the court.
Head coach Scott Brooks is dropping the ball here. Confidence is a big part of a young player's progression. We saw that with Jeremy Lamb, who started putting together the best stretch of his career once he started getting consistent minutes.
The same goes for Jones. With Durant on a pitch count, there is ample opportunity for the Thunder to showcase Jones' talents. With his size, athleticism and shooting touch, he should be a bigger part of the second unit. The team should also find ways to play him and Durant together.
What Perry Jones Can Do
When used properly, Jones could be a matchup nightmare. He's a 6'11", 235-pound forward that can run the floor like a guard. He has the quickness to get past rival big men, while his size and mid-range jumper allow him to shoot over the top of smaller defenders.
Although the sample size is small, Jones has converted 87.5 percent of his attempts from 10-16 feet as well as 37.5 percent of his shots from between 16 feet and just under the three-point line, per basketball-reference.com. He's also a career 33.3 percent shooter from behind the arc.
Jones puts all of his offensive gifts on display in this highlight reel from his 32-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 30.
The key for Jones is being aggressive. When he was starting earlier this season, he embraced his role as the team's go-to guy. According to NBA.com, Jones averaged 11.8 field-goal attempts in his five games as a starter, converting 45.8 percent. As a reserve, those numbers dwindle to 2.4 shots per game and a conversion rate of 41.7 percent.
Rust from a 13-game absence plays into that decline, as does the lack of a consistent role. Jones admitted that he'll need a little more time to get back into the swing of things, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman:
"Not the speed I want to be," Jones said, following his return against the Milwaukee Bucks. "More practices, more games, everything will be better."
While Jones searches to find his mojo on offense again, he can still contribute defensively. His size and speed come in handy against smaller lineups.
"Another body that's athletic and can guard multiple positions," Durant said about Jones. "We need to utilize that more, especially when teams go small. Just have him be aggressive and confident."
According to 82games.com, opponents' effective field-goal percentage is 46.5 percent against Jones this season. The big man could further help his case as a defender if he'd use his long arms to swat shots or tip away some passes. He's notched just three steals and two blocks all year.
How Oklahoma City Should Use Jones
Jones should be Durant's chief backup, and it shouldn't even be up for debate. There isn't another reserve on the roster with both his physical tools and the ability to contribute at both ends of the court.
Lance Thomas' rise from training-camp invite to emergency starter has been nice, but the clock has struck midnight on that Cinderella story, as Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman points out: "He's (Thomas) played far better than anyone could have expected. But he's not an NBA rotational player. Not on any team north of the Lakers and Sixers. Thomas is a journeyman who has filled in with effort during a rough stretch. The Thunder is glad to have him. But there is nothing to discover there."
Jones makes the most sense as KD's caddy because of the similarities in their game and physical traits. Both are lanky, athletic forwards that can score from various spots on the floor. Obviously, Durant is the more evolved version of Jones, but you can sub Perry in and still do some of the same things.
However, it shouldn't stop there. What about an occasional lineup with Durant, Jones and Serge Ibaka up front? That would give the Thunder three guys above 6'9" that can shoot, rebound and stretch the floor. Defensively, the team would have one of the best shot-blockers in the game in Ibaka, while allowing Durant and Jones to use their length to hold down the perimeter.
In fact, the Thunder might be able to go even bigger. They can put Steven Adams at the pivot, Ibaka and Durant at their usual forward spots with Jones playing some shooting guard. That's a lot of length and athleticism for opposing defenses to deal with at one time, especially if Russell Westbrook is on the floor as well.
This would give Oklahoma City a huge size advantage while also allowing the team to open up more playing time for a potentially dangerous weapon. The increased minutes coupled with learning alongside two of the league's best in Durant and Westbrook would do wonders for Jones' development.
There's no reason why Perry Jones shouldn't be a bigger part of the Oklahoma City Thunder's plans than he currently is. He showed enough in his abbreviated run as a starter to be worthy of a bigger role upon his return from injury. Instead, the team squelched his momentum by failing to carve out meaningful minutes for the big man.
That was a mistake. With the Thunder needing all hands on deck to make a run at a playoff spot, Jones' unique talents could come in handy. With his ability to play and defend numerous positions, he's like a human Swiss Army knife.
At the beginning of the season, Jones was there for the team when they needed him most.
The time has come for the Thunder to return the favor.
Note: All stats current as of Dec. 16 and are courtesy of ESPN.com, unless otherwise noted.
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