Tough lessons come quickly and often in the NBA. Unfortunately for the fans, the last-placed looking-for-answers New Orleans Pelicans have learned, sometimes painfully, that their margin for error shrinks dramatically when Herb Jones is not on the floor. It is not simply about losing one of the NBA’s elite perimeter defenders. It is about losing a voice, an organizer, and a tone-setter whose impact extends far beyond box scores. Zion Williamson acknowledged as much before hosting Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets.
The two-time NBA All-Star offered an unusually candid assessment of where the Pelicans unravel defensively when Jones is sidelined.
“Herb is supertalented defensively,” Williamson said. “Like, it’s physically, but he is also super vocal. Right now, we do not have that super vocal voice for us on the court. That’s definitely an area that I can step up in.”
Williamson’s acknowledgment is a public diagnosis of a chronic issue plaguing the Pelicans. When Jones, the lanky, tenacious wing, is on the floor, New Orleans operates with a defensive identity. When he is not there are dramatic, deflating consequences in tight games. Late-game execution has become a glaring weakness, with opponents finding easy baskets when games hang in the balance.
“We’ve got to, one, close games better,” explained Williamson. “Two, especially when (Herb Jones) is out, our defensive presence just has to be better. Late in the game, teams are getting layups against us. When Herb is out there, it’s a different story. But when he is not out there, we still have to have some type of defensive identity. That’s been one thing for us for sure.”
Those late-game layups represent a defensive breakdown that extends beyond individual talent. When Jones directs traffic, pointing out screens, calling switches, and communicating rotations, the Pelicans function as a connected unit. His absence exposes how dependent the team has become on his orchestration.
The challenge for New Orleans centers on developing a defensive identity that can survive without Jones. While no player can replicate his unique combination of skills, the Pelicans need others to assume more vocal leadership roles. Williamson has identified this as an area for personal growth, acknowledging his own responsibility to fill the communication void.
“Just have a better defensive identity,” Williamson shrugged. “Like I said, whether Herb is out there or not, we just want to be better defensively. If we don’t get any stops, it does not matter how many points we score. We’ve got to be able to get stops.”
That fundamental truth haunts the Pelicans. In today’s high-scoring NBA, offense alone rarely wins championships. The league’s elite teams can toggle between offensive firepower and defensive intensity. New Orleans has mastered the former but struggles with the latter when Jones sits. Until that changes, close games will continue to be akin to lay-up lines for opponents.
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