Thirteen Ways Of Looking At Terrence Jones
(With (many) apologies to Wallace Stevens)
I
Two autumns flown
Commencing three
Two Rockets rookies
Younger than one Terrence Jones
II
Who am I?
A chart.
Recondite.
Revealing?
TS% |
eFg% |
ORB% |
DRB% |
ORtg |
Drtg |
OWS |
DWS |
WS |
|
"A" |
.573 |
.545 |
11.8 |
22.2 |
113 |
106 |
4.0 |
2.5 |
6.5 |
"B" |
.577 |
.564 |
9.2 |
18.5 |
119 |
105 |
4.6 |
2.7 |
7.3 |
III
Gloriously coiffed "A"
Two years senior to "B"
Animalistic "A" played 2200 more
NBA minutes than basically groomed "B"
IV
"A" got a raise.
$50 million worth of breakout for
FIBA tourney terror
Look again
V
How much better can
"A" Kenneth Faried
"B" than a Terrence Jones?
One Hundred Twenty Two Thousand Per Game?
VI
The market
For "A" player of those attributes
Not now a bargain like "B"
VII
Much reviled PER
Has a Jones
A nose better than a Bosh now and
Better than two initial Bosh years
VII
Jones is a tweener, (I am told)
But is not the association wholly blended and bent
Almost
To blurred in-between roles?
VIII
Bad performances rankle so
That the good
Must be
Ignored
IX
36 points, 11 rebounds
Most other superior single
Power Forward Nights
Belonged To Kevin Love, (but not to his second season)
X
Four of the top five
82Games best regarded
Have a Jones in them
XI
It could be
That consistency is unreliable
It could be
Post defense ever offends
XII
Has a career flown by
So swiftly
We know just what sort of
Bird sings Jones' song?
XIII
Even so
Moreso
Jones, nest or take flight
No longer a fledgling
Player Previews can get a bit samey (at least if I'm writing them), and as Terrence Jones has probably had more words written about him here than anyone since May, I thought a fresh approach was in order. You may not have enjoyed it, but its full of healthful facts and comparisons! And essential internet vitamins. It is by no means comparable with Wallace Stevens.
You may have made up your mind about Terrence Jones, but I urge you to reconsider, either way. Right now Jones seems poised atop the same fulcrum he's been on since Kentucky -- astonishing for better or worse. But his grade remains incomplete. Is that simply who he is, or will he turn in a mature effort? Growing up can turn an inconsistent boy into a serious, focused, man. Just look at Trevor Ariza, who is not now the callow lad who dribbled aimlessly for the Rockets of yore.
I believe that we'll see a more mature effort. I think Jones will continue to improve. I think he'll change the narrative he acquired in the playoffs, change it to one where people consider him one of the better young big men in the NBA. I believe that Terrence Jones has the ability to be, at worst, a very solid regular. The key is consistency, and for Jones the key to consistency is solid defensive efforts. All the tools of stardom are there. The time to step up is now, and I believe Jones will.