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Terrence Jones' time as a Rocket officially came to an end Wednesday night as Shams Charania and The Vertical reported that our division rival, the New Orleans Pelicans, inked him to a one-year deal. The terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.
Jones entered the league in 2012 as the third Rockets pick in that draft, but he was the only Rockets rookie in that draft class to play for the team. 16th overall pick Royce White has still yet to play an NBA game — we're not holding our breath for that — and Jeremy Lamb was traded before the season started in exchange for a man with a beard.
Jones was not the only Rockets rookie on that team, however. Donatas Motiejunas also played his first season with the Rockets that year. And since they joined the team, it seemed like the two kept on battling for whom the power forward of the future was going to be. When Motiejunas was injured, Jones shined, and vice versa.
Jones' best season came in 2013-14 when he averaged 12.1 PPG and 6.9 RPG. He played in all but six games that season, but since then, he has missed 81 out of a possible 164 contests. He had arguably his worst season this past season, only averaging 8.7 PPG and starting just 11 games. Injuries always kept him sidelined, and D-Mo, although just as injured as Jones, looked like more of a reliable answer at power forward for the future of the team.
Jones had some great moments with the Rockets. In January 2014, he scored 36 points and grabbed 11 boards in a win against the Bucks.
This is not a surprising move, as the Rockets officially have chosen to part ways with Terrence Jones and make Motiejunas their power forward of the future, barring a mind-blowing offer sheet from another team. Jones' injuries and fit in the system did not mesh as well with Motiejunas. D-Mo has a more commanding post presence and better outside shot, two things the Rockets need. Although Motiejunas is not signed currently, it is expected that Daryl Morey will sign him or match any offer for him before the season.
Jones is a good pickup for the Pelicans considering the fact that they just lost their backup power forward Ryan Anderson, who signed with Houston last week. Jones joins Omer Asik in the ex-Rocket, Pelican frontcourt.
Terrence Jones had four solid seasons as a Rocket, and his contributions, although ultimately underwhelming, should not go unnoticed. Thank you for your time in Houston, TJ. Good luck in NOLA, where we look forward to playing you four times this season!