Forward Derrick Jones Jr.'s game continues to grow in his fourth NBA season.
Undrafted out of UNLV in 2016, Jones signed a two-way contract with the Heat in the middle of the 2017-18 season after the Suns waived him. Just a few seasons later, Jones, 22, has turned into an essential part of the Heat's rotation.
Jones started in place of the injured Jimmy Butler (lower back soreness) on Sunday and scored a career-high 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting to go with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a team-high 36 minutes in the Heat's win over the Trail Blazers. Jones also defended Portland star guard Damian Lillard for part of the game.
With Justise Winslow unavailable for the past month because of a back injury, Jones' role has expanded. During the past 10 games, Jones has averaged 11.3 points on 48.3% shooting from the field, five rebounds and 1.3 steals in 31.2 minutes.
"He's becoming increasingly more important for us," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jones, with the Heat now idle until the start of its three-game trip Wednesday against the Pacers. "His teammates know that, his coaches know that. He just has to keep on working."
The next step for Jones is to remain healthy. He has already missed 14 games this season due to injury (four because of a strained left groin and 10 because of a strained left hip), and he missed 14 games last season due to various injuries and illnesses.
The combination of Jones' 6-6, 210-pound wiry frame and his elite leaping ability can lead to a lot of scary falls. Like when Jones went up for what would have been a highlight dunk in the second quarter of Sunday's win over Portland, but he missed, crashed to the court and limped to the bench before eventually returning to the game.
"It's about reliability, being available, being professional on all the days in between," Spoelstra said of Jones following Sunday's game. "What I mean by that is he's a great kid, he's always going to be here. But really dedicating himself to the things outside of the basketball court, such as the training room and the weight room. He has a very strong wiry body, but he still needs to work at it to be able to handle the contact and the collisions that he inevitably gets into in a game. That's why he's in the weight room right now and after that he gets rewarded with two protein shakes."
Are Heat coaches on Jones, nicknamed "Airplane Mode," to play a more cautious style of basketball instead of going for high-flying dunks whenever he sees an opening? Jones' vertical leap was once measured at 48 inches, and he's considered to be one of the top candidates to participate in this year's NBA Slam Dunk Contest, although no formal invitation has been extended.
"No. He has to be aggressive," Spoelstra said when asked that question. "He has to continue to develop his fundamentals offensively, where you're going to have different finishes in your toolbox. What I mean by available is all the time outside of the practice court, he has to fully commit to that. That's his nutrition, trying to add a few more healthy pounds in the weight room and in the training room. He probably has to be a two-to-one guy at this point. Double the time in those areas than he's spending on the basketball court.
"That's not at all a criticism, that's an opportunity for him to really make his body ready for a full 82-game schedule, which he has been doing. He has gotten a lot better at it."
Jones is still working to become a more efficient outside shooter (22.6% on threes this season), which would help reduce the amount of times he crashes to the court. Of the 70 shots he has made this season, 36 have come on dunks.
"I know my limits," Jones said of the balancing act between using his leaping ability and avoiding painful falls. "If I see a shot go up and I know I can go get it, I'm going to go get it. But if I see a shot go up and I see somebody under there and it's a higher possibility that if I leave the ground then I'm going to come back down on my shoulder or my back, I'm not going to do it.
"Yes, I jump high, but I'm not reckless with it. I'm cautious with the way I jump, especially after that spill in Charlotte (in the 2018 preseason). I'm very cautious about how things happen. I just don't want that to happen again."
