Miami Heat: Derrick Jones Jr. proving to be a difference-maker

Possessing an elite combination of length and athleticism, Derrick Jones Jr. is proving to be a real gamechanger for the Miami Heat.

Throughout his brief NBA career, Derrick Jones Jr. has essentially been known for his incredible athleticism and high-wire dunks. However, the past three games of the Miami Heat‘s six-game West Coast road trip have demonstrated just how valuable and destructive Jones can be moving forward.

At 6’7″ and with a 7’0″ wingspan, Jones possesses all the physical attributes to become a real difference-maker for the Heat. Unfortunately, the nature of the roster has meant gaining regular court time has been an extremely difficult task for Jones.

Yet with the Heat having some key players sidelined throughout this current trip, Jones has been afforded his chance for an extended run on the floor. To his credit, he has certainly made the most of his chances.

Over this three-game span, the 21-year-old Jones averaged 7.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.7 blocks in 26.6 minutes per game. Considering he’d been averaging just 13.8 minutes per game prior to this stretch, Jones adjusted quickly to his increased responsibility.

Notably, the former UNLV star recorded a team-best +27 while on the floor over this time, including an even 0 during the Heat’s blowout 27-point loss to the Utah Jazz. Furthermore, Jones also recorded an excellent +16.6 net rating during this time, comfortably the best return on the team among players who completed all three games.

Following the Heat’s narrow loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in which Jones recorded eight points, three steals, three blocks and a career-high 14 rebounds, head coach Erik Spoelstra made note of Jones’ significant contributions:

"“You watch him, and then he makes you play him, and that’s what you want with young players, nothing is guaranteed. Tonight, I just had an impression from the last game, but we had guys back and I thought it would be half the minutes, if that, maybe 10 minutes in this game. But it got to a point where we couldn’t afford to take him out.”"

Such was Spoelstra’s faith in Jones during this contest, that the third-year forward with just 69 career games under his belt was defending LeBron James for extended stretches throughout the fourth quarter. In fact, Jones played for all but 22 seconds of the past three fourth quarters, the largest number of any player on the roster during this time.

Signed to a two-way contract midway through season after spending his first season in the league with the Phoenix Suns, Jones is well aware of the impact can have on the team as a whole:

"“I mean electrifying dunks, everybody gets hyped up for dunks. That’s one thing that I try to do a lot. And even if my teammates dunk, I’m going to be the first person to jump off the bench. That’s something that gets me hyped.”"

While it’s just a small sample size, this recent stretch of play will be extremely encouraging for both the Heat front office and coaching staff. Considering his age and seemingly untapped potential, the future appears bright for Derrick Jones Jr. in Miami.