The Rockets have exceeded expectations this season despite key players battling injuries. They have a 42-20 record, the fourth best in the West, in no small part thanks to James Harden's MVP-worthy season. What makes Houston so scary thinking about the postseason is that no one really knows how good they can be when completely healthy. If Terrence Jones' stellar performance after a lengthy absence is any indication, they could be as dangerous as anyone in the playoffs.
Terrence Jones has turned into another gem for Daryl Morey and the Rockets
Since the All-Star break the Rockets’ forward has been the second best player on the team. If he can continue to play at that level, Houston could have a rising star in their hands.
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Jones suffered from nerve issues in his leg and then battled back problems that limit him even when he managed to get on the court. Now he seems finally healthy and is putting up some incredible numbers as the team's starting power forward. Since the All-Star break Jones is averaging 16.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks and has essentially become the Rockets' second best player in Dwight Howard's absence. Against the Pistons on Friday he scored 17 points, pulled down eight rebounds, blocked three shots and logged two steals. The 23-year-old gives the Rockets a different dimension.
Jones is slightly undersized for the power forward position but manages to be an above-average defender anyways thanks to his wingspan, strength and jumping ability. He hasn't played enough minutes to qualify for the leader's board but his two blocks per game would have him tied with Pau Gasol for fifth in the league. While his bounce and length allow him to force misses at the rim at a better rate than Roy Hibbert, his speed makes him tough to get past even for perimeter players. Watch him stay in front of LeBron James after a switch, forcing an offensive foul.
Synergy Sports Technology ranks him in the 90th percentile defending the pick and roll. Overall, players shoot 8.3 percentage points worse when Jones is defending them this season. He has been great on that side of the ball.
Of course, he has missed so many games that a small sample size could be painting him to be a better defender than he is. Last season Jones rim protection numbers were terrible, his shot-blocking was not as impressive and while he was still good at defending the pick and roll, he was not elite. It will take more games of excellent defensive play to really establish Jones as a force on that end, but the physical tools are there, and it wouldn’t be shocking for a third-year big man to take a leap on that area, especially when the team as a whole has improved greatly.
On offense Jones isn’t the outside threat the Rockets would love to have next to Dwight Howard when he returns, but he can hit a three. Jones is averaging 33 percent from outside on above-the-break threes almost exclusively and 35 percent on catch and shoot situations.
Even if he can’t space the floor like a true stretch power forward Jones is an excellent cutter and decent offensive rebounder who doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to score, which makes him a perfect fit next to Harden and Howard.
In Jones the Rockets have their answer to the Warriors' Draymond Green and the Spurs' Boris Diaw, a power forward who can defend perimeter players and traditional bigs and offers a little bit of everything on the other end. If he can sustain the level of play he's showing now or at least not regress significantly, he makes the Rockets exponentially more dangerous, complementing an already good big man rotation of Josh Smith, Donatas Motiejunas and Howard with a varied skillet that allows him to thrive regardless of who the other big on the floor is.
Health is still the Rockets’ number one concern. They will need Howard to be able to offer them at least 30 minutes of quality two-way play in the postseason despite his knee problems or it would be hard for them to get far in the Western Conference. How the games are officiated is arguably the second biggest factor for Houston, as it depends on getting to the line a lot for offense. While Jones emergence solves neither, it could help mitigate both problems, as he can offer a defensive presence playing center in small lineups with Josh Smith at power forward and provide another scoring threat off the pick and roll.
It’s still too early to tell for sure, but if what Jones has showed so far is in fact who he really is, the Rockets could find that the third star they always wanted was on their roster all along.
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