Jones Jr. wants to hone in on a key area of the game.
The Los Angeles Clippers dropped a 128-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome, but one thing that stood out in the postgame was Derrick Jones Jr. talking about an area of his game that head coach Tyronn Lue wants more of.
Jones finished with 11 points and five rebounds against the Thunder and has leaned into his transition game all season, trusting the bigs behind him to handle the glass.
Lately though, the coaching staff has pushed him to crash the boards more.
"I just always try to get out on the break early," Jones said. "I see that I got J.C. [John Collins] and Brook [Lopez], they go up and get the rebound and as much as I can get out on a break and get easy points for us, that's what I'll be trying to do. But coach has definitely made an emphasis the last week or so and let me know that I need to crash a little bit more, so that's what I'm trying to do, especially on the offensive end."
Why Jones Matters to This Roster
It is easy to overlook what Jones has given the Clippers this season when you consider how much time he has missed.
He went down with a sprained MCL in his right knee in November, came back for four games, then suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in the same knee in early January that kept him out until after the All-Star break.
Through all of that, he has appeared in 46 games and is posting a career-best 10.3 points per game while shooting 50.7 percent from the field on a team that kept itself alive in the playoff race despite an ugly 6-21 start.
The night before the Thunder loss, Jones grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over Dallas, which showed what happens when he makes that extra effort to crash instead of leaking out every time.
He and Brook Lopez combined for 21 boards in that game, and the Clippers controlled the glass in a way that helped them survive a Mavericks comeback attempt.
The Bigger Picture
The Clippers sit at 41-39 heading into a massive Friday night showdown in Portland with the play-in tournament on the line.
Los Angeles holds a one-game lead over the Trail Blazers for the eighth seed, and the winner Friday will likely lock that spot down.
Jones does not need to become a 10-rebound-per-night player, but Lue asking him to crash more tells you how much small details matter at this stage.
This team has been one of the best stories in the NBA since Christmas, going 35-18 to climb all the way back into contention.
If Jones can add that rebounding element consistently while still getting out in transition and providing the defense and scoring punch he brings every night, it only makes the Clippers more dangerous heading into the postseason.