Rookie Mason Jones says his play is shocking Rockets’ coaches
Rookie guard Mason Jones says his coaches with the Houston Rockets have been shocked at the speed of his development this season.
Jones, who is averaging 7.5 points (56.9% FG, 57.7% on 3-pointers) and 2.2 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game, could find playing time over Houston’s next two games — with veteran guards John Wall and Victor Oladipo each scheduled to miss one night of a back-to-back.
That could potentially open up playing time for Jones. Despite being an undrafted rookie, Jones has developed rapidly enough that he’s not among the numerous young prospects being sent by the Rockets to the G League “bubble” for developmental purposes. Instead, Jones has already proven enough value at the NBA level to keep him around.
When asked what the coaching staff, led by Stephen Silas, wants him to improve, Jones pointed to becoming a better defender. In comments from Wednesday’s shootaround in Oklahoma City, he said:
They even told me what I’ve been doing has really been shocking them. Just knowing all my hard work and dedication, doing the little things, is really starting to pay off. Probably the biggest thing is… just being a better defender. That’s what I wanted to be coming in, knowing that in college, I really didn’t play defense like that. It was a different situation. Now that I’m in the league, knowing I’m in better health, better body shape… and knowing that I want to be one of the best players in the future, I needed to be a two-way defender.
Me and Coach [Stephen] Silas, and the coaching staff, have been teaching me the little things about being a better defender — on the ball, off the ball, what do I see, blue-line help. It’s just the little things that I continue to learn, but the thing about it is, I’m learning faster than what they thought. It’s been able to get me more minutes, and be able to get Coach Silas’ trust, knowing that I probably didn’t have it at the beginning.
I asked Mason Jones on what #Rockets coaches want him to do to improve his game: "To be honest, they told me I've really been shocking them…Knowing I want to be one of the best players in the future, I needed to be a 2way defender. Me and Coach Silas have been working on that." pic.twitter.com/jdbkLnk9lz
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) February 3, 2021
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“A lot of people thought I was going to be in the G League the whole year,” the 6-foot-4 guard told reporters on Wednesday. “But game-by-game, I continue to show I have a promising ceiling.”
Jones said Wednesday that he’s happy to be shooting well from 3-point range, given the work that he puts in on his jump shot. However, his larger priority is winning, and he knows defense is critical to that goal.
“I know some games I might play; some games I might not,” Jones said. “But that never changes my attitude. I always watch film. I’m always being with John [Wall], being with the coaching staff, seeing what I can learn. Now, that I got my feet wet, you can see that I’m really maturing. I really just want to focus on defense. I want to be a two-way player.”
“I’ve been with Coach Silas, with John, with Coach Rick [Higgins], working on the little things, how to stay prepared, just to continue to get better on defense,” Jones concluded in Wednesday’s media availability. “If there is one thing I want to get better at and show tonight, that’s it.”
Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City tips off at 7:00 p.m. Central, while Thursday’s contest at Memphis has an 8:00 p.m. tipoff.
