The defensive ability is actually quite excellent, but unfortunately the Clippers have not realized the potential of the forward general?

In a previous NBA playoff game, the Denver Nuggets, who returned to their home court, defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 120-101. After this game, the Nuggets, who won the life-and-death battle in the tiebreak, successfully advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals. They will compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder for a spot in the Western Conference Finals; while the Clippers lost their chains again in such a life-and-death battle, and fell in the first round of the playoffs again.

In this game, the performance of the Clippers' starting lineman Derrick Jones Jr. is also worthy of recognition. Jones Jr. played 16 minutes and 35 seconds in the game, made 5 of 10 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 1 of 4 free throws, and scored 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 blocks. There was also one turnover, with a plus-negative value of -11. He also showed good empty-cut and finishing ability on the offensive end. His performance on the defensive end is also very outstanding. He can also create some threats to his opponents through his advantages in athletic ability. Of course, Jones Jr.'s outside projection stability is indeed slightly worse, and he has not shown his ability in this regard. Overall, Jones Jr. is actually one of the few players in the Clippers' lineup who can give pressure on the opponent on the defensive end, but the Clippers also have certain problems with how he uses it, and he has not fully utilized his abilities.

In the NBA regular season this season, Jones Jr. made a total of 77 appearances in 82 games, averaging 24.3 minutes per game, averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 blocks, and 0.9 turnovers and 2 fouls. His shooting percentage was 52.6%, a three-point shooting percentage of 35.6%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 70.3%. So far in the playoffs, Jones Jr. has averaged 18.4 minutes in these seven games, with averaging 7.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.3 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers and 0.4 fouls. His shooting percentage is 43.8%, his three-point shooting percentage is 30%, and his free throw shooting percentage is 37.5%.

Jones' playing time during the playoffs also dropped a lot, which also led to his data not as gorgeous as during the regular season. Jones Jr.'s stability on the offensive end is also slightly worse. In fact, Jones's personal ability is also visible to the naked eye. He is a player who is very suitable for the team system and style of play. However, after all, he is just a role player, and his personal ability cannot help the team turn the situation around. No matter how good Jones' performance is, it cannot affect the situation, not to mention that the team's head coach Tyronn Lue has not fully realized his potential. It is indeed a pity that such a player can only perform like this in the playoffs.