When Paul George made the announcement that he would not re-sign with the LA Clippers in June, it sent some within the fanbase into a panic. Replacing All-Star level production is not easy, and the Clippers were going to have their work cut out for them in re-shaping the roster around Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Thankfully, Lawrence Frank, Steve Ballmer and the rest of the Clippers' front office already had a plan in place. Knowing they would be cristening the brand new Intuit Dome in a few months, ownership understood that they could not roll into anything resembling a rebuild. This team needed to remain competitive for the 2024-25 season.
One of their very first moves toward accomplishing that goal was getting former Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. to sign in Los Angeles on a three-year deal. When they did that, the front office could breathe an initial sigh of relief before getting into their other important roster decisions.
With Jones now a part of the rotation, the Clippers knew they had replaced a bit of the depth at wing that was lost when George departed. But of course, Derrick is a much different player from Paul. The Clippers knew the moment they signed him that they were getting an elite defender.
Derrick Jones Jr. will bring elite defensive ability
"Derrick is an incredible athlete and a versatile defender who excels in transition and attacks the rim," said Lawrence Frank in a statement to media. "As we experienced firsthand in the playoffs against Dallas, he can change a game with his length and activity. We are going to have a tenacious defense this season and DJJ will be a huge part of it."
Derrick recently spoke with Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints about his role with the team and how exactly he expects to contribute. It is safe to say that Jones knows he was one of the top on-ball defenders in the association last season.
"That’s what I’m gonna bring from day one," he said. "For me, I’ve always been like that since I was a kid. Growing up, I always played up, I always played older guys. In order to play against older players, you gotta be able to do something good. I was a good defender and I was athletic when I was young, so I always stuck with that and played defense."
This is an excellent thing to hear from a player with so much capability on that end of the floor. Too often, athletic players in the NBA choose to exert too much energy on the offensive end and neglect their skill on the other side of the basketball.
The fact that Derrick is not only such a skilled defender but also knowledgeable of what his specialty is makes for a fantastic role player. Clippers fans should be thrilled to see number 55 step on the floor in just a few short months.