Derrick

Jones Jr.

Make it two consecutive solid offensive performances for Jones, who scored 17 in Friday’s win over Sacramento. With Norman Powell (hamstring) out, there’s room for others to step up behind James Harden and Ivica Zubac. Jones’ season-long production makes it understandable that he remains rostered in just 11% of Yahoo leagues. But the Clippers’ four-game Week 6 would be a good time to roll the dice, especially for managers needing steals production.

The 17 points are the most Jones has scored in a game since November 11, when he tallied a season-high 20 against the Thunder. While he has been a 10th-round player over the last week, Jones hasn’t provided enough value to merit being rostered in most leagues. At best, he’s a player who deep-league managers consider streaming on light schedule nights.

The Clippers’ offseason acquisition was never a great fantasy option, and that has held true in his first season in LA. However, he does rank in the top-150 in 9-cat leagues this season, which is a huge step in the right direction for him. He set a new season-high for both points and assists while tying his season-high for triples in this game. However, managers shouldn’t see this as a sign of things to come. He simply isn’t a great option in standard leagues.

After solid performances in his first two games as a Clipper, Jones kicked things up a notch on Sunday. He shot 7-of-10 from the field, including a 3-of-4 effort from beyond the arc. This level of shooting is not sustainable for Jones, a career 31.8% shooter from deep, but he has improved. The more time Kawhi Leonard (knee) misses, the more room Jones will have to provide unexpected fantasy value.

Jones had a good night shooting the basketball, making both 3-point attempts on the way to a 12-point night. The 2023-24 season was his best regarding 3-point shooting, with Airplane Mode making 1.1 per game at a 34.1% clip. Those numbers should indicate that nights like Wednesday aren’t the norm for Jones. However, there’s a chance he offers modest offensive value while Kawhi Leonard remains sidelined.

Jones was more impactful as a scorer than in Tuesday’s Clippers’ exhibition win over the Nets. That’s the good news. The bad is that he offered little production in other categories, failing to grab a rebound while tallying just one steal. Jones didn’t provide much fantasy value when starting for the Mavericks last season, and that may remain the case with the Clippers.

Jones made his lone field-goal attempt, a first-quarter 3-pointer just below the break. Corner triples may be where his bread is buttered offensively this season, especially in a lineup that includes James Harden and Kawhi Leonard (the latter remains sidelined). As for fantasy value, he won’t be worth the risk in most leagues, even with the defensive stats produced on Tuesday. Jones hasn’t averaged at least 1.5 combined steals and blocks in a season since 2020-21, and for his career, he’s contributed 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks. The athleticism hasn’t translated into stats, making him a non-factor in fantasy once the inconsistent offensive production is added to the equation.

Free agency’s next big domino has fallen, as the two-way star heads East to form a new “Big 3" with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. George’s arrival will likely mean less touches for Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre (who just re-signed with Philadelphia on a two-year deal). George’s departure from Los Angeles means the newly-signed Derrick Jones Jr. should see plenty of minutes, and Terance Mann could see more opportunities as a scorer and playmaker. George’s biggest concern as a Clipper was availability, but he appeared in 74 games last season and posted averages of 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.3 triples.

A starter throughout the Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals, Jones is headed west to join forces with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and the Clippers. This season was the best of Airplane Mode’s career, as he averaged 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.1 3-pointers in 23.5 minutes per game. With Paul George moving on, Jones could slide into the Clippers’ starting lineup if coach Tyronn Lue prefers to keep Norman Powell in the 6th-man role. Despite being a starter, Jones did not offer much fantasy value with the Mavericks. Hopefully, that will not be the case with the Clippers.

Jones was a fixture in the starting lineup throughout Dallas’ run to the NBA Finals. While his production did not make him a great option in most fantasy leagues, he fits nicely into Jason Kidd’s rotation alongside star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Dallas’s issue is that they don’t have much room financially heading into free agency, but that does not impact their view on Jones and his importance to the team. “I don’t know how we’re going to do it,” Harrison said of re-signing Jones. “But he’s priority 1-A (and) 1-B. I think he fits in with our team. He loves it here. We have to figure out the dynamics to get him to stay. But yeah, that’s a priority. We’ll do what we have to do to get it done.” “Airplane Mode” should make considerably more than the $2 million he did this season, whether in Dallas or elsewhere.