Wikipedia

Herbert Jones (basketball)

Herbert Keyshawn Jones (born October 6, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He earned third-team All-American honors as a senior in 2021, when he was also named the SEC Player of the Year.

Herbert Jones
Jones with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2020
No. 2 – New Orleans Pelicans
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-10-06) October 6, 1998 (age 26)
Greensboro, Alabama, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeAlabama (2017–2021)
NBA draft2021: 2nd round, 35th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentNew Orleans Pelicans
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Jones was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2022 and NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2024.

High school career

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Jones started playing varsity basketball as a seventh-grader for Sunshine High School in Newbern, Alabama, where his father served as the head coach. He played alongside his older brother, Walter Jr., and helped his team reach the Class 1A state finals in 2015, before the school closed.[1] For his junior season, Jones transferred to Hale County High School in nearby Moundville, Alabama, following his father, who was an assistant coach.[2] As a senior, he averaged 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and four assists, earning Class 4A Player of the Year honors.[3] Jones led Hale County to the 4A state championship, its first-ever state title.[4] He committed to playing college basketball at Alabama over offers from Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida.[5]

College career

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As a freshman at Alabama, Jones averaged 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He drew a single-season program record 23 charges.[6] In his sophomore season, he averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.[7] On January 29, 2020, during a game against LSU, Jones suffered a fractured left wrist and underwent surgery three days later. He returned to action on February 12 while wearing a cast on his wrist.[8] In his next game, after three days, Jones recorded six points and 17 rebounds in an 88–82 win over LSU. Late in the game, he made two free throws using only his right hand, due to his injury.[9] As a junior, Jones averaged 7.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and was a Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Defensive Team selection. He declared for the 2020 NBA draft before withdrawing and returning to college.[7][10]

At the close of the 2020–21 regular season, Jones was named the SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches.[11] As a senior, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. On April 8, 2021, Jones declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his extra year of college eligibility.[12]

Professional career

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Jones was selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft with the 35th pick by the New Orleans Pelicans.[13] On December 28, 2021, Jones scored a then career-high 26 points in a 108–104 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.[14] On March 27, 2022, he had a career-high six steals in a 116–108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[15] Jones was selected to the NBA All-Rookie second team.[16]

On April 5, 2023, Jones put up a career-high 35 points to go with five made three-pointers.[17]

On May 21, 2024, Jones was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, as the only non-center to be included.[18]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 New Orleans 78 69 29.9 .476 .337 .840 3.8 2.1 1.7 .8 9.5
2022–23 New Orleans 66 66 29.6 .469 .335 .764 4.1 2.5 1.6 .6 9.8
2023–24 New Orleans 76 76 30.5 .498 .418 .867 3.6 2.6 1.4 .8 11.0
Career 220 211 30.0 .482 .373 .824 3.8 2.4 1.5 .7 10.1

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 New Orleans 2 2 35.1 .538 .429 1.000 6.0 2.0 1.0 1.5 9.5
2023 New Orleans 1 1 39.1 .438 .200 .833 5.0 5.0 1.0 1.0 20.0
2024 New Orleans 2 2 30.6 .600 .500 .000 .5 2.0 1.5 .5 7.5
Career 5 5 34.1 .513 .389 .700 3.6 2.6 1.2 1.0 10.8

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 New Orleans 6 6 37.7 .477 .417 .773 3.3 1.8 1.8 .8 10.7
2024 New Orleans 4 4 35.2 .390 .333 1.000 5.0 2.5 1.3 .3 13.0
Career 10 10 36.7 .435 .361 .853 4.0 2.1 1.6 .6 11.6

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Alabama 35 13 21.2 .408 .269 .500 3.5 1.4 1.3 .6 4.2
2018–19 Alabama 34 29 21.1 .422 .286 .495 3.5 2.0 0.9 0.6 6.4
2019–20 Alabama 27 26 26.5 .484 .071 .625 6.4 2.3 1.3 0.7 7.9
2020–21 Alabama 33 33 27.3 .446 .351 .713 6.6 3.3 1.7 1.1 11.2
Career 129 101 23.8 .441 .288 .604 4.9 2.2 1.3 .8 7.3

Personal life

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Jones is the son of Walter Sr. and Verlander Jones. He was born with hemolytic anemia.[19] His older brother, Walter Jr., played college basketball for Texas–Rio Grande Valley and Alabama A&M.[2]

Upon being drafted by the Pelicans, Jones is known for driving the same car every game as he did in his college days. Back then, he was also trying to save his money to help his family financially, by avoiding spending his own money, wearing the team's gear in every game.

References

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  1. ^ Champlin, Drew (October 4, 2016). "Small town standout Herb Jones has big basketball dreams". AL.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Tsoukalas, Tony (November 17, 2017). "How a brotherly bond has always fueled Alabama freshman Herbert Jones". Rivals. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Chandler, Joey (April 4, 2017). "Jones, Ford win Class 4A Player of the Year honors". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Estwick, Gary (March 3, 2017). "Kaddell Perry, Herb Jones lead Hale County past Monroe County for 1st state title". AL.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Champlin, Drew (October 6, 2016). "Hale County guard Herb Jones commits to Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Potter, Charlie (November 9, 2018). "Herbert Jones 'means a tremendous amount' to Tide basketball". 247Sports. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Martin, Tyler (October 26, 2020). "Herb Jones' Offensive Development Could Be X-Factor for Crimson Tide Basketball". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Byington, Alex (February 13, 2020). "How Alabama's one-handed Herb Jones showed 'warrior' approach returning to the floor against Auburn". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Walsh, Christopher (February 18, 2020). "Alabama Still Getting 'Goosebumps' From Epic Herb Jones Free Throws". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  10. ^ Martin, Tyler (June 3, 2020). "Alabama Basketball's Herbert Jones Returning For Senior Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 SEC Men's Basketball Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  12. ^ Martin, Tyler (April 8, 2021). "Alabama Basketball's Herb Jones Officially Declares for 2021 NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Potter, Charlie (July 29, 2021). "2021 NBA Draft: New Orleans Pelicans select Alabama's Herbert Jones". 247 Sports. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Cavaliers vs. Pelicans - Game Summary - December 28, 2021". ESPN. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Mar 27, 2022 Game Summary". National Basketball Association. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  16. ^ Eichenhofer, Jim (May 18, 2022). "Herbert Jones earns spot on NBA's All-Rookie second team". NBA. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  17. ^ Meyers, Andrew (April 5, 2023). "Knicks record never seen in NBA history matched by Pelicans on same day". ClutchPoints. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  18. ^ https://www.nba.com/news/history-all-defensive-team
  19. ^ Burger, Kyle (February 26, 2019). "Alabama basketball player Herbert Jones fighting blood disorder since birth". WVTM-TV. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
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