Devin Booker names one uncommon trait about Pelicans’ Herb Jones
New Orleans Pelicans rookie Herb Jones has emerged as one of the top-first year players this season, and recently earned high praise from Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker.
Jones, in 78 games, averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals this season. He made a name for himself on the defensive end of the floor and has even garnered attention in the All-Defensive teams voting, which would be a rare feat for a rookie.
The 35th pick registered 130 total steals, 243 deflections and 60 blocked shots this season. He ranked third in steals and fourth in deflections among all players in the NBA. He was the only player to have at least 120 steals and 50 blocks.
Jones helped the Pelicans win two games in the play-in tournament to claim the eighth seed. They will face the Suns on Sunday and Booker revealed what impresses him most about Jones ahead of their series.
Just his instincts, the tangibles of it. The things you can’t teach, you can tell he has prioritized defense for a long time and watches people and studies people, which is uncommon for a rookie. Offensively, I think he doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves. He is playing confidently. He is not scared to take those shots. I think a lot of teams have shifted off him and dared him to shoot this year and he has been shooting it very well. He is a really good, young talent in this league.
The comments by Booker certainly echo what many around the league have said after watching Jones this season. Booker will have a firsthand look at Jones as the rookie will likely be matched up with him throughout their first-round series.
New Orleans recovered from a rough 1-12 start this season and is on an incredible run to reach this point. Certainly, they are not looking to quit now as Jones & Co. look to make some noise versus the top-seeded Suns.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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