Jones Jr. and Garland are extremely exciting to watch so far.
The Los Angeles Clippers are rolling right now, and Derrick Jones Jr. is a big reason why.
After the Clippers blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves 153-128 on Wednesday night, Jones Jr. talked about what playing alongside new point guard Darius Garland has unlocked for him.
"It helps us a lot. I mean my man or if the corner man if I'm on the wing and Darius on the other wing corner man goes to help low and my man has to go watch the corner and that's a slot cut for me or even if I'm in a corner my man a low man he goes and helps still a cut for me as Darius does he get downhill and he can put the ball anywhere I need it," Jones Jr. said.
It is not the most polished quote you will ever read, but the point comes through loud and clear if you have watched any Clippers basketball lately.
Garland's Gravity Opens the Floor
Garland's ability to get downhill and collapse the defense is creating easy looks for everyone around him, and Jones Jr. is taking full advantage.
Since the All-Star break, Jones Jr. has been on one of the best stretches of his career, averaging 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.
Against Minnesota, he finished with 12 points and four steals while making his presence felt on both ends of the floor.
Garland put up 21 points and six assists in the win, hitting five threes and looking every bit like the two-time All-Star the Clippers traded James Harden for back in February.
Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Garland has averaged 21.7 points and 6.3 assists per game, and the Clippers have gone 3-0 in those starts.
A Different Kind of Point Guard
The difference between Garland and Harden is not just about talent, it is about style.
Harden is a ball-dominant scorer who likes to slow things down, work in isolation, and control every possession.
Garland is quicker, shiftier and more willing to push the pace and make reads on the move.
That style fits what Jones Jr. does best, which is cut, fly to the rim and finish at the basket.
When Garland gets into the paint and forces the defense to help, it creates the kinds of cutting lanes that Jones Jr. was talking about in his postgame comments.
Whether he is on the wing and his man shades toward the corner or he is in the corner and the low man rotates, it all leads to the same thing. Open paths to the rim and a point guard who can put the ball right where it needs to go.
The Bigger Picture
The Clippers are now 33-32 on the season after starting 6-21, making them the first team in NBA history to climb above .500 after falling 15 games below the mark.
They sit eighth in the Western Conference and have won six of their last seven games.
Minnesota, meanwhile, dropped to 40-26 and has now lost three straight after a five-game winning streak.
Kawhi Leonard stole the headlines Wednesday with his 45-point explosion, but it was the supporting cast that made it all work.
Jones Jr. may never be a star, but paired with a point guard like Garland who breaks the defense down and finds cutters, he does not have to be.
He just has to keep doing what he does, and right now, that is working as well as it ever has.