Chicago Bulls: Derrick Jones Jr. producing at an astounding level
It is exciting to see some of the results that the Chicago Bulls are producing under the direction of second-year head coach Billy Donovan at the outset of this season. Through the first 10 games, the Bulls are getting some key reserves such as point guard Alex Caruso and small forward Derrick Jones Jr. to step up in the second unit and help this team win games.
This trend of Donovan and the Bulls getting much better play from the reserves this season compared to last is something this team needs if it wants staying power in the Eastern Conference. Strong bench play is something that the likes of the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, etc. are used to in the past couple of seasons. Those are teams that the Bulls should want to be in the postseason contender conversation with.
Players like Jones and Caruso can really help the Bulls become one of the top postseason contenders out of the East, especially with how this team looked to start the season. Jones, in particular, is one reserve player to watch that could eventually work his way into the starting five.
At the moment, Donovan is rolling with shooting guard/wing Javonte Green in the starting unit in place of the injured second-year forward Patrick Williams. Jones is still getting more minutes of playing time per game than Green, despite the latter of the two getting the starts of late.
And while both Green and Jones have played well filling in for the absence left by Williams of late, the latter of those two has more potential with this team it seems throughout the rest of the regular season. Jones is a high-octane player that will be both one of the best, and most underrated, wing defenders in the East this season.
Jones is also a very solid inside scorer and rebounder. His outside game is limited, but he’s very versatile otherwise.
Advanced metrics highlighting the true value Derrick Jones Jr. brings for the Chicago Bulls this season
Pretty much every single advanced metric for Jones represents something special he’s doing at the outset of this season. He is not only one of the team leaders, but league leaders in offensive rating (160) and defensive rating (100).
That not enough to prove that his contributions were astounding to start this season?
He’s also registered a career-best 5.7 box plus/minus, .278 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 21.0 player efficiency rating. And pretty much all of his shooting percentages rank well above the league average so far this season. Jones has registered a sparkling 74.1 true shooting percentage and a very solid .632 free-throw attempt rate.
Not only is Jones providing a lot of two-way value for the Bulls this season, but he’s also making the most of his opportunities to get to the free-throw line.
A good way to sum up the value he’s provided for the Bulls out of the gates during the regular season is with his on/off-court plus/minus. He’s registered an insane on/off-court plus/minus of +24.4 per 100 possessions this season. Just let that sink in for a moment.
Among any players that have given the Bulls at least 50 minutes this season, that on/off-court plus/minus per 100 possessions for Jones ranks second-best on the team. Newly signed center Tony Bradley actually has an on/off-court plus/minus per 100 possessions over +31.
That just highlights how much value and efficiency the likes of Bradley and Jones are bringing to the table for Donovan and the Bulls off the bench through 10 games this season.
Some other areas to highlight for Jones out of the gates this season mostly surround how well he’s taken care of the basketball. He doesn’t have a single turnover to his name thus far. And he’s actually drawn more than twice as many fouls as he’s dished out thus far. In almost every respect this season, Jones is performing at a tremendous level on both ends of the floor.
At the time when the Bulls’ front office dished out power forward Lauri Markkanen in a three-team sign-and-trade deal with the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers to land Jones, it looked like a great move. In hindsight, that move is now looking really good for the Bulls.
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Jones and the Bulls are currently sporting a record of 7-3 following the big 118-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets at home at the United Center on the night of Nov. 8. Next up for the Bulls is a meeting with superstar point guard Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at home on Nov. 10.