ESPNJ1. Jul 2023 8:11am2 minutes read
Zach Lowe: Herb Jones’ defensive skills earned him an extension with the Pelicans
Zach Lowe cites Herb Jones’ defensive prowess as the reason he received a four-year extension with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Herb Jones has agreed to a new four-year, $54 million deal to remain with the New Orleans Pelicans, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Kieran Piller of Priority Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez on Friday.
Jones turned down his option to sign a long-term contract with New Orleans.
Jones, 24, was a second-round draft pick for the Pelicans in 2021 and quickly found himself on the starting lineup due to his defensive skills as a 6ft-8 forward. Jones started 135 of a possible 144 games for New Orleans in his first two seasons.
Over the course of his career, he averaged 9.7 points and 1.6 steals; Jones finished in the top 10 in the league in steals in both seasons. He narrowly missed making the all-defensive team in his rookie season and also garnered votes last season.
Jones was averaging 33.7% from 3-point range as a rookie and 33.5% last season, but was able to see some improvement in his shot late after a difficult start and peaked after the All-Star break with 2.3 attempts per game, a performance of 44.4%.
Jones was expected to earn $1.8 million the next season before the Pelicans declined his option.