Mavs forward Derrick Jones Jr. addressed his impressive 24-point performance against the Thunder over the weekend.
The Dallas Mavericks were defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday by a final score of 126-120. Luka Doncic led the offense with 36 points, 18 assists, and 15 rebounds. Dallas needed someone else to step up with Kyrie Irving out, and that is exactly what Derrick Jones Jr. did for the Mavs.
Jones scored 24 points in the game. His production helped keep the Mavs alive. And with Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Grant Williams all listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the Mavs are hoping Jones can replicate his performance.
Jones spoke to reporters at Tuesday’s practice and was asked about his 24-point outing.
“That’s just doing whatever I can,” Jones said. “Like I said before, I just try to do whatever I can to try to help to get the win. That’s just the type of player I am. I love winning, I hate losing… losing, I lose sleep. I’m trying to go to sleep at night.”
Derrick Jones Jr. playing important role for Mavs
Jones, 26, features plenty of potential. He has displayed signs of impressive scoring ability. If he can find consistency, it would not be surprising to see him emerge as a star.
Jones is currently averaging a career-high 9.8 points per game in his first season with the Mavs. He’s shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Playing alongside stars such as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving has surely helped Jones. He is also receiving an opportunity to play more with Dallas, currently averaging 23.4 minutes per contest. For reference, Jones averaged just 14 minutes per game in 2022-23 with the Chicago Bulls.
He will continue to receive more opportunities to play if he keeps performing at a high level. Jones will look to have another big game Wednesday at home versus the Jazz.
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