Boston Celtics Gambling on Perry Jones' Talent with No-Risk Trade
The Boston Celtics don't have an obvious need for Perry Jones, and they were certainly aiming for something a lot higher than the former first-round pick when they entered the 2015 NBA offseason.
But when the price is right—or, in this case, virtually nonexistent—it makes sense to place a risk-free wager on someone with his freakish physical gifts.
The Celtics snatched the versatile forward away from the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday in a deal most notable for its door-busting discount rate. The trade particulars, provided by ESPN.com's Royce Young, highlight just how far the former Baylor product's stock has fallen:
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The Thunder had motivations to move Jones. Their roster is both crowded and costly. Shipping him out shaved more than $5 million off their luxury tax bill, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
But those aren't the only reasons why Jones wound up on the clearance rack.
His first three seasons in Oklahoma City produced results that wavered between uninspiring and unsettling. His career per-game marks underwhelm across the board: 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.2 blocks in 11.7 minutes.
Of the 369 players to log at least 1,500 minutes since the start of 2012-13, Jones is tied for the third-lowest player efficiency rating at 8.5. (For context, the league-average mark is 15.0).
The Celtics didn't buy low on Jones; they found him in the "Free" section on Craigslist. But that was all the more reason for them to pounce on this opportunity like a lion who stumbled across wounded prey.
"There's no downside to this deal for the Celtics," wrote NBC Sports' Sean Highkin. "They get a free second-round pick out of it and the outside chance that Jones might show something in a new environment."
Maybe the odds of Jones panning out don't seem much better than those of a scratch-off ticket. But when someone is not only handing those tickets out, but also attaching an asset for your troubles, you take that deal 11 times out of 10.
Not to mention, it's still too early to pull the plug on Jones' potential.
There aren't many players who are blessed with his type of natural abilities. In fact, former MVP Kevin Durant said last summer that Jones' physical tools are unrivaled in the basketball world, per Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman:
That should sound more absurd than it does.
But that same athleticism made Jones a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2010, above the likes of Terrence Jones, Tristan Thompson, Enes Kanter and Cory Joseph.
Even though Jones' production never matched his potential during two years at Baylor, his raw talent still tantalized many when he left, as this 2012 scouting report from DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony shows:
"Just how rare and unique a player he is becomes immediately evident the moment you start watching him. He has a tremendous combination of size, athleticism and skills, making him appear to be capable of doing anything he wants on the basketball court. He shows terrific footwork inside the paint, has 3-point range on his jumper, can handle the ball fluidly from coast to coast, and is a breathtaking finisher around the basket.
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Jones has size for the post (6'11", 235 lbs) and mobility for the perimeter. When he's clicking, he can impact the game as a scorer, defender, playmaker, shooter and above-the-rim finisher.
Obviously, he didn't find his rhythm often in Oklahoma City.
Some of that was due to circumstances beyond his control. The Thunder were title contenders during his first two seasons, so they couldn't afford to spend much time on player development. Jones' path to major minutes was also blocked by Durant and Serge Ibaka, which limited the prospect's chances to leave a great impression.
But Jones shoulders some of the blame here, too.
He rarely displayed the confidence and assertiveness needed to thrive in a complementary role. His inconsistent production wouldn't have been so troubling had it not been seemingly tied to erratic effort.
"When he decides to, Jones can put on a show in pregame warmups. ... But then the game tips and he just floats," wrote Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman. "You never see that rare bounce translate to anything on the court. Which brings us to his lacking motor, something that has long held him back."
Still, Jones seems more like an unfinished product than a lost cause. Despite already having three seasons under his belt, he's only about seven months older than Toronto Raptors rookie Delon Wright.
And though they were rare, Jones showed flashes of development with the Thunder. When Durant's foot injury forced Jones into a prominent role last fall, he responded with a three-game stretch of 22.7 points on 52.2 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 38.7 minutes.
The key to those outbursts, he said, was a green light to attack.
"My teammates were in my head, especially Kevin (Durant)," Jones said, per Thunder.com's Nick Gallo. "He was telling me to be aggressive and telling me that the team is going to need somebody to step up and be aggressive. That's all I tried to do."
But Jones' productive run was derailed by a knee contusion on Nov. 4. The injury kept him shelved for a month, and he never reclaimed a steady rotation spot after his return.
Opportunity can be critical to a player's development, and Jones never found a good one with the Thunder.
But during the rare moments when the team let him off his short leash, he looked like a different player than the one who struggled to make his mark in a minimal role.
| 30 or more | 9 | 13.7 | 48.9 | 44.8 | 3.9 | 1.3 |
| 20-to-29 | 23 | 5.8 | 37.6 | 16.7 | 3.3 | 0.8 |
| 19 or less | 111 | 2.1 | 41.9 | 30.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 |
The sample size is far too small to say with any conviction that Jones could handle major minutes. But it's still worth noting that he has largely seized the few big opportunities to come his way.
It's tough to tell whether the Celtics will give him that chance, but it sounds like he has fans in their front office.
"He's a terrific athlete. He's different than a lot of guys we have under contract right now," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said, per Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. "We'll see how he fits into our system."
And where Jones will fall in their crowded rotation. He faces stiff competition for playing time regardless of whether the Shamrocks see him as a wing or a stretch big, as SB Nation's Kevin O'Connor noted:
Unless, of course, Ainge thins those ranks with another trade.
But assuming Jones stays put, this could be a mutually beneficial partnership if he can start creeping toward his towering ceiling.
Boston could use more perimeter shooting (32.7 three-point percentage last season, 27th overall), and this frontcourt doesn't have another freak athlete like Jones. For him, the Celtics offer something he desperately needs: a fresh start.
Maybe this turns his entire career around. Perhaps Celtics coach Brad Stevens puts Jones in the perfect position to use his athletic gifts as a disruptive defender and problematic matchup at the opposite side.
Or maybe Jones faces the same minutes crunch he did in Oklahoma City. The Celtics don't have much invested in him, so it's his responsibility to prove he's worthy of a rotation spot. If he can't, he'll find himself buried on the bench again.
No matter what Jones' future holds, the Celtics were smart to take a cost-free flier on him. They already nabbed cash considerations and a future pick for bringing him aboard, so anything he provides inside the lines is an added bonus.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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