<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-lakers-luka-doncic-opens-up-on-derrick-jones-jr-and-la-clippers-rivalry');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Luka Doncic opens up on Derrick Jones Jr. and LA Clippers rivalry');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Luka-Doncic-Los-Angeles-Lakers-Dallas-Mavericks-Kawhi-Leonard-James-Harden-Tyronn-Lue-Los-Angeles-Clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Luka Doncic opens up on Derrick Jones Jr. and LA Clippers rivalry</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-04T15:30:28-08:00">March 4th, 3:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-04T15:43:17-08:00">March 4th, 3:43pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers saw a bitter rival join another in their own town when Luka Doncic was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-luka-doncic-trade-nba-pissed-confused-month-later">traded to</a> the Los Angeles Lakers last month. In a move that people in NBA circles still can’t explain, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/mavericks-news-luka-doncics-reaction-traded-lakers-anthony-davis">Doncic was traded</a> from the Dallas Mavericks in a package including Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first round pick. Even former teammate Derrick Jones Jr. couldn’t believe it.</p><p>The move that sent shockwaves around the NBA continues to baffle the public as Luka Doncic returns to form as a member of the Purple and Gold.</p><h2><b>Luka Doncic on Clippers rivalry and Derrick Jones Jr. partnership</b></h2><p>Lakers star Luka Doncic and Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. only played one year together with the Dallas Mavericks, but they were able to build a strong bond through the team’s deep playoff run.</p><p>Jones Jr. was a late offseason signing for the Mavs, but wound up having a career year averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three.</p><p>Jones went on to have a career postseason, where he shot a blistering 39.6 percent from three and even scored a career-high 22 points in Game 6 against the OKC Thunder.</p><p>Alongside Doncic, Jones Jr. helped the Mavs to the NBA Finals, where the Mavericks ultimately fell to the Boston Celtics in five games.</p><p>It did, however, feel like Dallas was on the precipice of something special and a simple retool around the core of Doncic and Kyrie Irving would be all that was needed.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-and-Luka-Doncic-celebrate-during-the-Mavericks-Timberwolves-playoff-series.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Nine months later, Derrick Jones Jr. is a key piece for the Los Angeles Clippers, Luka Doncic is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending torn left ACL in what should put a nail in a brutal season for the Mavs and their fanbase.</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. was as shocked as everyone when he saw news of the Mavericks-Lakers trade going down, telling ClutchPoints he thought the trade was fake initially.</p><p>After the last two contests between the Lakers and Clippers, Doncic was asked about his relationship with Jones Jr. now that they’re both in the same city.</p><p>“First of all, he’s an amazing guy just to be around,” <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1896456345525846295">Luka Doncic told ClutchPoints</a> on Sunday. “Second, his defense, his ability to jump, his ability to shoot. Together, we were great I think. Obviously, that’s one guy I miss. Maybe we’ll get some dinner now that we’re in L.A.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Luka Doncic to me on Derrick Jones Jr.:</p><p>“First of all, he’s an amazing guy just to be around. Second, his defense, his ability to jump, his ability to shoot. Together, we were great I think. Obviously, that’s one guy I miss. Maybe we’ll get some dinner now that we’re in L.A.” <a href="https://t.co/rOdlTeLa6k">pic.twitter.com/rOdlTeLa6k</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1896456345525846295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>For his career, Doncic has now played 39 games against the LA Clippers — 20 in the regular season and 19 in the postseason. He has a 9-11 record against the Clippers in the regular season and a 9-10 record against them in the playoffs, including a win in the 2024 postseason as a member of the Mavericks.</p><p>During Sunday’s game, Doncic was seen screaming at the Clippers bench after drilling step-back three-pointers. He says that there might be a little extra fire when he plays them due to their long history of battles.</p><p>“Obviously, I went back and forth a lot with the Clippers,” <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1896667073516077352">Doncic said</a>. “That’s what I like. To me, that’s fun, and that’s how I get going, especially on the basketball court.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Luka Doncic on if he has a little more fire against the Clippers than other opponents:</p><p>“Maybe. Obviously, I went back and forth a lot with the Clippers. That’s what I like. To me, that’s fun, and that’s how I get going, especially on the basketball court.” <a href="https://t.co/DX9O1QA6tL">pic.twitter.com/DX9O1QA6tL</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1896666958248165431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In 20 regular season games against the Clippers, Luka Doncic averages 32.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals.</p><p>He averages more points against the LA Clippers than any other opponent he’s played at least 10 times, and it’s by far the most he’s averaged against a team in the Western Conference.</p><p>In 19 playoff games against the Clippers, Doncic averages 32.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.</p><p>With the Lakers winning the season series 3-1, they’ve put themselves in strong position to finish as the second seed in the Western Conference. As things currently stand, the Clippers are in seventh place and would be in the play-in tournament.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Luka Doncic opens up on Derrick Jones Jr. and LA Clippers rivalry

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-with-kris-dunn-derrick-jones-jr-la-is-making-a-new-name-for-themselves');   ga('set', 'title', 'With Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Clippers are making a new name for themselves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Los-Angeles-Clippers-Kris-Dunn-Derrick-Jones-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>With Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Clippers are making a new name for themselves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-28T20:22:11-07:00">October 28th, 8:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-28T20:22:57-07:00">October 28th, 8:22pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Los Angeles Clippers allowed Paul George to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clipper-news-ivica-zubac-reacts-to-paul-george-leaving-for-sixers">walk in free agency</a> this offseason, many questioned why they would allow that. A star of George’s caliber is incredibly hard to find, but allowing George to walk <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-kris-dunn-russell-westbrook-trade-nearly-solidifies-2024-25-opening-night-roster">gave the Clippers a number of options</a> to improve their team. Among the biggest moves they made were the additions of Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn.</p><p>Jones Jr. was an unexpected addition after he made an agent change before free agency and complicated his negotiating capabilities with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs pivoted to New Orleans Pelicans free agent Naji Marshall, clearing the path for Derrick Jones Jr. to find a new home with the team that suddenly had the space to sign him. Jones Jr. was signed to a three-year, $30 million deal.</p><p>Kris Dunn was a free agent guard from the Utah Jazz and was acquired in the sign-and-trade that included guard Russell Westbrook. He was ultimately signed to a three-year, $17 million deal, effectively taking over the backup point guard spot that Westbrook struggled with last season.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn’s impact on the Clippers</b></h2><p>The Clippers started the season with a loss against the Phoenix Suns in the first ever game at Intuit Dome. That was a close game, however, with both Jones Jr. and Dunn showcasing portions of their skillsets on both ends of the floor, but primarily on defense.</p><p>Winning cures everything, however, and allows some of the performances to stick out even more. That’s exactly the case with the impressive two-game road trip the Clippers just had against the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Clippers-James-Harden-vs.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>LA defeated the Nuggets and Warriors in a couple of close games, with Dunn and Jones Jr. being key contributors to back-to-back impressive performances.</p><p>Through these first three games, Kris Dunn has <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1851005687750672561" rel="noopener">recorded 12 deflections</a> to go along with his six steals. The 12 deflections is tied for the third most in the NBA behind only Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (21) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (16).</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. also isn’t far behind, sitting at 10 deflections and five total steals through three games. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. have combined for 11 steals and 22 deflections (per NBA Stats) in 3 games.<a href="https://t.co/WucTl7ri6x">pic.twitter.com/WucTl7ri6x</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1851005687750672561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The two defensive-minded players have been a big reason for the jump the Clippers have taken defensively. In the preseason, the Clippers had the second-best defensive rating in the league at 94.2 points per 100 possessions, behind only the Portland Trail Blazers.</p><p>Through the first three games of the regular season, the Clippers have the third best defensive rating in the league at 103.2 points per 100 possessions. They trail only the Oklahoma City Thunder (90.8 DRTG) and Golden State Warriors (95.9 DRTG).</p><p>Their opponents haven’t been easy either. They lost an overtime thriller against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns. In what was an emotional game with the full unveil of the Intuit Dome, Durant drilled a game-tying fadeaway in the final seconds to force overtime, where the Suns ended up winning.</p><p>The Clippers then went to Denver on the first night of a back-to-back where they beat three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in a place they haven’t won since Christmas Day 2020. And that was a game without fans. The last time the Clippers beat the Nuggets in Denver where fans were able to attend was February 2018, almost six years ago.</p><p>On the second night of a back-to-back set, the Clippers went to San Francisco to face a well-rested Golden State Warriors team that had won both of their first two games against the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers by 35+ points. Another team-wide effort led to another big victory.</p><p>James Harden has recorded three straight double-doubles for the Clippers to start the year.</p><p>Ivica Zubac is averaging 22.7 points, 14 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game as he leads the league in boards.</p><p>Norman Powell recorded a 37 point game against the Nuggets, including 22 points in the fourth quarter.</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. had 14 first-half points against the Warriors, keeping the Clippers in it while James Harden found his shot and Norman Powell dealt with foul trouble.</p><p>Kris Dunn had six points, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals, and <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/1850767779810726269" rel="noopener">seven deflections</a> against the Warriors in the win as well.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">According to the NBA's tracking data, in addition to his 4 official steals this evening, LA Clippers guard Kris Dunn racked up 7 deflections.</p><p>— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/1850767779810726269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>And just wait until Kawhi Leonard returns, hopefully healthy.</p><p>This is what the Clippers envisioned when they let Paul George walk to free agency: A much more complete team centered around a star or two, but with much better complementary talent and specialists. </p><p>Now with a five-game homestand coming up, the Clippers have a chance to continue establishing themselves as one of the grittiest teams in the league.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

With Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Clippers are making a new name for themselves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-james-harden-tyronn-lue-derrick-jones-jr-react-first-game-intuit-dome');   ga('set', 'title', 'James Harden, Tyronn Lue, Derrick Jones Jr. react to first Clippers game at Intuit Dome');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/James-Harden-Tyronn-Lue-Derrick-Jones-Jr.-Intuit-Dome-Los-Angeles-Clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>James Harden, Tyronn Lue, Derrick Jones Jr. react to first Clippers game at Intuit Dome</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T15:45:21-07:00">October 15th, 3:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T15:47:22-07:00">October 15th, 3:47pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>INGLEWOOD, CA — After more than six of discussion, planning, and preparing, the Los Angeles Clippers finally <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-first-look-at-las-new-logos-uniforms">opened their new home</a> in Inglewood, California. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-fans-react-steve-ballmers-intuit-dome-features">Intuit Dome opened</a> in August, but hosted its first basketball game on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks.</p><p>The Clippers defeated the Mavs, 110-96, in the Intuit Dome preseason opener. Kevin Porter Jr. leading the way with 18 points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals in 19 minutes of play. Six Clippers players reached double-figure scoring, while Ivica Zubac (11 points, 12 rebounds) and James Harden (10 points, 12 assists) both recorded double-doubles.</p><h2><b>Clippers finally host a game at Intuit Dome</b></h2><p>From the moment fans step onto the lot where the Intuit Dome stands, there’s an immediate rush of exhilaration. It was a only a little over three years ago, well into the COVID-19 pandemic, that the <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1438928969647071233" rel="noopener">Clippers officially broke ground</a> on the new stadium.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The LA Clippers have officially broken ground on their new arena, the Intuit Dome. <a href="https://t.co/3vpyJYxv3t">pic.twitter.com/3vpyJYxv3t</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1438928969647071233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It took a few minutes for fans to navigate through the halls of the Dome, but they quickly found their seats and tuned into the show. The NBA’s official boxscore states that 13,400 fans attended the preseason opener on Monday night.</p><p>“I love it,” Derrick Jones Jr. said after <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/1846019012809183285" rel="noopener">scoring the first ever basket</a> at the arena. “The arena is nice as—. Sorry I was about to curse. The arena is really amazing. I definitely like this. This is probably one of the best arenas that I’ve ever stepped foot in and the practice facility as well, so I’m glad I’m here being able to be there and playing the in Intuit Dome and be the first team that’s getting that floor right.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Derrick Jones Jr. has the first Clippers basket at Intuit Dome. <a href="https://t.co/Jk39Ldmr92">pic.twitter.com/Jk39Ldmr92</a></p><p>— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/1846019012809183285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>James Harden, who is going to be tasked with leading this team in Kawhi Leonard’s absence, said he had a great time despite it only being a preseason game.</p><p>“It’s crackin’!” Harden smiled. “It’s crackin’ in here. Preseason game but just to see the screen and the fans and the lights all around the seats, it’s gonna be a good season for us. It’s gonna be fun to watch.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Fans-at-The-Wall-of-Intuit-Dome-during-Clippers-Mavericks-game.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Intuit Dome has a different setup from other NBA arenas in that the baseline closest to the Clippers bench has a normal bowl shape while the one by the opposing team’s bench features, “The Wall.”</p><p>One might think that the depth perception might mess with players one half versus the other, but Harden says it’s nothing that he considers bothersome.</p><p>“Once we get in there a little bit more, get a little bit more comfortable,” Harden explained. “But I’m just excited about the whole atmosphere in this building. I think the city of L.A. is excited about it as well.</p><p>“I think that was just a quarter of what was going on. I think Steve [Ballmer] didn’t want to give y’all the whole rundown of what’s going down. He’s holding back for y’all. He said you gotta be there on the 23rd to witness it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Halo Board here at Intuit Dome looks very dope, but it’s not fully operational until opening night.</p><p>Clippers have a full unveil planned for when they host the Suns on October 23rd. <a href="https://t.co/gBK1NBjIVi">pic.twitter.com/gBK1NBjIVi</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1846026321899749652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Clippers confirmed that while the Halo Board was functional and displaying a number of stats on Monday night, the team has a full unveil of the board saved for the season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 23rd.</p><p>“It’s beautiful,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd added. “To be able to practice here yesterday and have shootaround here, they did an incredible job. I think the Clippers fans should be happy. I think when you look at the fan experience, it’s gonna be like no other, so it’s exciting to be the first visiting team here tonight to experience that.”</p><p>The Wall was on full display with fans standing for most of the night and in the ears of Mavs players. With the seats in close proximity to the Mavs bench, it will surely be a long season for opposing teams from that perspective.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Inside-the-LA-Clippers-Intuit-Dome.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“It’s a great feeling to have a place to call home,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue added. “I think our guys are very excited about it, our whole organization is very excited about it. Tonight, our fans got a chance to see a part of it.</p><p>“I loved it. I thought the crowd was great and the wall was really great. They did a goos job just being loud and being disruptive. That’s what we need. it felt good to actually be at home. To give the crowd a good game, we always play better, but I thought we played hard, we competed, we scrapped, and that’s what the fans want to see.”</p><p>The Clippers will play one more preseason game on Thursday, October 17th against the Sacramento Kings. Kawhi Leonard as well as James Harden will not play in that one, and not many other starters are expected to either.</p><p>That will be the final game before the Clippers officially open up the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, October 23rd when James Harden and the Clippers host Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

James Harden, Tyronn Lue, Derrick Jones Jr. react to first Clippers game at Intuit Dome

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-derrick-jones-jr-reacts-replacing-paul-george');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Derrick Jones Jr. reacts to replacing Paul George');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Clippers-news-Derrick-Jones-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ Derrick Jones Jr. reacts to replacing Paul George</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-08T07:06:41-07:00">August 8th, 7:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-08T07:11:10-07:00">August 8th, 7:11am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LAS VEGAS, NV — The LA Clippers were forced to move quickly this summer with the news that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-paul-george-breaks-silence-on-joining-philly">Paul George would be departing</a> in free agency for the Philadelphia 76ers. With their first official move of the 2024 offseason, the Clippers picked up Derrick Jones Jr., formerly with the Dallas Mavericks.</p><p>Jones Jr. is coming off an NBA Finals appearance, where his Mavs fell to the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics in five games. Initially expected to return to Dallas, Jones Jr. quickly pivoted and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-la-steals-derrick-jones-jr-30-million-after-mavericks-exit" rel="noopener">became the Clippers’ first major signing</a> in free agency.</p><p>“I talked to the ownership and front office and coaching staff,” Derrick Jones Jr. said in his introductory press conference. “The route that they was willing to go to was towards me and having me come in there and fill that three-four role, be aggressive offensively, and be who I am defensively. Go out there and try to bring a championship back.”</p><h2><b>Clippers add elite defender</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/derrick-jones-jr.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Derrick Jones Jr. had a career year with the Mavericks last season, averaging 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three. Jones upped those numbers a bit in the playoffs, averaging 9.1 points and shooting 36.9 percent from three.</p><p>His calling card, however, was his staunch defense. Jones Jr. was an elite one-on-one defender last year, and he even called himself the best in the league against ball-handlers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The LA Clippers have announced the signing of Derrick Jones Jr.</p><p>“Derrick is an incredible athlete and a versatile defender who excels in transition and attacks the rim," said Frank. "As we experienced firsthand in the playoffs against Dallas, he can change a game with his length… <a href="https://t.co/xTtlINUAQZ">pic.twitter.com/xTtlINUAQZ</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1811101878975144110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Yeah, [I was] No. 1,” Jones Jr. replied when asked about the ball-handler defense stat. “That’s what I’m gonna bring from day one. For me, I’ve always been like that since I was a kid. Growing up, I always played up, I always played older guys. In order to play against older players, you gotta be able to do something good. I was a good defender and I was athletic when I was young, so I always stuck with that and played defense. Got to the league and found my niche.”</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. was expected to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks, but as free agency grew near, doubt began to set in as to whether a deal could actually be reached. The reason? The league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.</p><p>Jones Jr. switched agencies on June 26, 2024 — just four days before the start of free agency — joining Rich Paul and Klutch Sports. Unfortunately, that also triggered a mandated 15-day waiting period between when a player officially ends their contracts with their former representation and signs an NBA contract with the new one.</p><p>With uncertainty and the fear of missing out on potential free agents very much a concern, the Mavs moved forward on deals with Naji Marshall as well as a sign-and-trade agreement for Klay Thompson. That’s around the same time the Clippers put in the call.</p><p>“Damn near the first day of free agency [is when the Clippers became a reality]. Dallas, they moved in a different direction. They signed somebody else, so I was ready to move on.”</p><p>Jones Jr. drew the tough task of defending guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Paul George during the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Needless to say, Jones Jr. put the straps on.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627884/head-to-head?dir=D&amp;sort=MATCHUP_FGA" rel="noopener">NBA.com/stats</a>, Jones Jr. held George to just 10-of-24 shooting during their six-game playoff series. He also held Gilgeous-Alexander to 9-of-24 shooting during their six-game series and Anthony Edwards to 12-of-26 shooting during their five-game series.</p><p>“I gotta go out there and be who I am. Defensively, when I was with the Mavs, I was on-ball, best defender, guarding the best player every night. That’s one thing that I took pride in. I told them every time that I want the best player, so they put me with the best and I’m gonna do my best.”</p><h2><b>No replacing Paul George</b></h2><p>In the same offseason in which they lost Paul George, the Clippers added Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, and Kris Dunn to the roster, signaling more of a team-wide approach to defense as opposed to leaning on Kawhi Leonard for it throughout the regular season.</p><p>Jones Jr. hasn’t had a chance to speak with Leonard or James Harden yet, but expects to see a lot of open looks playing alongside the Clippers stars.</p><p>“They’re both future Hall of Famers,” Jones added. “Elite offensively. James [Harden] has become a better defender, and Kawhi [Leonard] has always been who he is on the defensive end. That’s one person who I’m gonna pick his brain on the defensive end. Whenever I can get in the lab with them, I’m gonna be there.”</p><p>As the organization shifts away from the “213” era of basketball, there isn’t even a thought as to how the new guys will replace what Paul George brought to the team these last few years.</p><p>“We’re not even making it like that,” Jones said. “He chose to go to a different team and I chose to come over here. The guys that chose to come over here chose to come over here. It’s a business at the end of the day. Ain’t no hard feelings. I never played with PG, so I don’t know how he is as a teammate so I can’t speak on that. But, like I said, the guys that’s in here now, we’re gonna come in and be aggressive and do what we gotta do and, like I said, try to bring back a championship.”</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. is expected to slide into the Clippers starting lineup and start alongside Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac in the frontcourt. His willingness to defend the opposing team’s best player and the ability to knock down open shots is expected to lift some of the weight from Leonard and Harden throughout the regular season.</p><p>Oh, and if you were wondering, Derrick Jones Jr. actually has a favorite nickname.</p><p>“‘Airplane Mode.’ Or ‘DJ.’ It don’t really matter. ‘Flight 55,’ for now. Whatever they decide to call me. Just not DJJ. Just not DJJ.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Derrick Jones Jr. reacts to replacing Paul George

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-dallas-clippers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Derrick Jones Jr.’s Mavericks departure gets brutally honest admissions');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Derrick-Jones-Jr.s-Dallas-departure-gets-brutally-honest-admissions.jpg"></figure><h1>Derrick Jones Jr.’s Mavericks departure gets brutally honest admissions</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-10T14:08:25-07:00">July 10th, 2:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-10T14:08:25-07:00">July 10th, 2:08pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks’ Summer League team is focused on preparing for Las Vegas. With Summer League right around the corner, however, a former Mavs player who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-la-steals-derrick-jones-jr-30-million-after-mavericks-exit">joined the Los Angeles Clippers</a> in NBA free agency has been mentioned multiple times over the past two days. Mavs Summer League players Alex Fudge and AJ Lawson both gave Derrick Jones Jr. a shoutout while speaking to reporters.</p><p>“When he was here, Derrick Jones,” Fudge responded Tuesday when asked which players he’s asked for advice. “I see myself favor him a lot. Same build, can guard, play above the rim. Now, I would say PJ (Washington), Dereck Lively. I mean, those guys have stepped up into the role.”</p><p>“Definitely the OG… (Markieff) Morris,” Lawson said Wednesday when asked a similar question. “That’s big bro for real… He is like the vocal leader of the team. And then for me… I like to watch Derrick Jones a lot because he’s a great defender. I asked him questions about certain things that he would do because I want to be in his position someday, starting on a contending team… We are like the same build almost, same position, so it was a lot of help learning from him.”</p><h2><b>How much will Derrick Jones Jr. be missed?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-shooting-during-Game-2-of-2024-NBA-Finals.jpg"><figcaption>Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>So how much will Jones be missed? I asked Lawson that question after multiple players mentioned Jones as someone they looked up to.</p><p>“He’s gonna be missed for sure,” Lawson said. “That’s our guy. Sad to see, but I hope that he does well. Still talk to him every time if I have a question… The Mavericks family, even if they’re gone you can still hit them up anytime.”</p><p>Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving understandably received most of the attention for the Mavericks during the 2023-24 season. After all, they are two of the best players in the NBA. Jones, though, provided a spark on both sides of the ball.</p><p>He offered respectable scoring prowess and was always a threat to throw down a monstrous dunk. Jones’ greatest asset was his defense, however. He consistently guarded opposing teams’ best players and forced them into difficult shots.</p><h2><b>Jared Dudley gets real on Derrick Jones Jr.</b></h2><p>Mavericks Summer League head coach Jared Dudley, who is also apart of Jason Kidd’s regular season coaching staff, <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1811108912852259207" rel="noopener">revealed an important conversation</a> he had with Jones this past season. Dudley also expressed confidence in Naji Marshall, who was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-derrick-jones-jr-reason-pursuing-naji-marshall">signed in NBA free agency</a> and projects to help replace Jones.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I asked Jared Dudley about Derrick Jones Jr’s previous impact on the Mavericks and how much he will be missed.</p><p>Dudley said Jones will be missed but gave a shoutout to new Maverick Naji Marshall<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneforDallas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneforDallas</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ic7xgRf8ME">https://t.co/Ic7xgRf8ME</a> <a href="https://t.co/2lYfpFNQb0">pic.twitter.com/2lYfpFNQb0</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1811108912852259207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“He (Jones) had a huge impact defensively,” Dudley said Wednesday. “He was our best defensive player. But there was times when he wasn’t playing or he was off the bench and we would have to tell him, ‘hey, you have to pick up full court.’ I remember having this conversation with D-Jones, you can ask him. I said, ‘hey, do you want to be a $2 million dollar player or a $12 million dollar player? Your shooting is what your shooting is. You’ve always been around that 34-36 (percent) range… You’re not gonna shoot 40, 42 (percent). That’s not who you are. You’re gifted athletically, based on God. The thing that you can control is your energy and effort, picking up ball. You have to make it a living hell for some of these offensive players.’</p><p>“And he figured that out. Because of that, salute to him and his family, $10 million dollars.”</p><p>Dudley’s advice seemingly played a role in Jones’ impressive season. Now Jones is set to join the Clippers after receiving a three-year, $30 million contract in LA. Fortunately for the Mavericks, they have made a number of quality offseason acquisitions.</p><h2><b>Naji Marshall among Mavericks important offseason acquisitions </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Naji-Marshall-Pelicans.jpeg"><figcaption>Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-klay-thompson-dallas-nba-finals-admission">Klay Thompson is the standout addition</a>. Quentin Grimes was acquired in the Tim Hardaway Jr. trade. And Naji Marshall was signed in free agency.</p><p>Dudley highlighted some of Marshall’s strengths.</p><p>“But Marshall is very similar but in a different way,” Dudley continued. “You don’t have to worry about Marshall being tough and rugged… He’s going to be that from the beginning being from Philly… Shoots the ball a little bit better.”</p><p>Jones will be missed, but Marshall is an exciting addition.</p><p>“So you might miss it in some ways but you’re gaining a lot bringing somebody like Marshall. A toughness that we don’t have and desperately need on this team.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Derrick Jones Jr.’s Mavericks departure gets brutally honest admissions

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-la-steals-derrick-jones-jr-30-million-after-mavericks-exit');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers steal Derrick Jones Jr. for $30 million after Mavericks exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Clippers-emerge-as-potential-Derrick-Jones-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers steal Derrick Jones Jr. for $30 million after Mavericks exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-30T21:10:20-07:00">June 30th, 9:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-30T21:48:31-07:00">June 30th, 9:48pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay Postrado is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Top-end talents are now moving all around the league for NBA Free Agency. A lot of teams are awaiting some members of squads that have reached the last series of the postseason such that they can impart that knowledge to other squads. The latest person to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-derrick-jones-jr-change-that-could-lead-mavericks-exit">join that trend is Derrick Jones Jr.</a> Who are the biggest beneficiaries of Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks running mate and this move? It is the Los Angeles Clippers.</p><p>The Clippers have signed Derick Jones Jr. to <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1807624605881745785" rel="noopener">a three-year deal</a>, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Reports have stated that the contract is worth $30 million. Those numbers were certainly big enough for him to sign with them and leave the Luka Doncic-led Mavericks in NBA Free Agency.</p><p>There was a lot of uncertainty about Jones Jr.’s future with the Mavericks after they lost the NBA Finals in five games to the Boston Celtics. Obviously, the high-flyer has been a focal point of Jason Kidd’s schemes. He was one of the best vertical threats in the league and pairing him up with Luka Doncic was just a match made in heaven. Surely, the Mavericks are going to need to fill the void that he leaves behind<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-decision-ahead-nba-free-agency"> after this NBA Free Agency move.</a></p><p>Jones Jr. played 76 games for the Mavericks before moving on to the Clippers. On an average of 23.5 minutes a game, he was able to produce big numbers. He knocked down 48.3% of shots from all three levels of scoring for 8.6 points per game.</p><p>His all-around style of play also netted him 3.3 rebounds a night. Moreover, he also records 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals for the Mavericks. Having him in the Clippers system would allow guys like James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook to have a new lob threat.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr.’s fit with the Clippers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-blocks-Jaden-McDaniels-shot.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p> </p><p>As of the moment, the Clippers do not have many veteran talents who can still jump out of the gym when it comes to the small forward and power forward positions. With Paul George leaving and Kawhi Leonard often needing time to recover due to injuries, that rotation just got way thinner. They will be left with Norman Powell, Amir Coffey, Kobe Brown, and PJ Tucker.</p><p>Jones Jr. gives them that exact need entering next season. The 27-year-old still has a lot of hops and it meshes well with James Harden’s playstyle. Similar to Doncic, The Beard likes his lob threats and will be getting one for the foreseeable future. It is a convenient way to bail out broken plays because Jones Jr. knows how to cut properly to the rim and make the proper read before using his insane verticality.</p><p>There will be a lot of schematic changes in the Clippers system and this move signals that.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers steal Derrick Jones Jr. for $30 million after Mavericks exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-dallas-derrick-jones-jr-reason-pursuing-naji-marshall');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. reason for pursuing Naji Marshall');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dallas-Derrick-Jones-Jr.-reason-for-pursuing-Naji-Marshall.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. reason for pursuing Naji Marshall</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-30T20:06:20-07:00">June 30th, 8:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-30T20:06:20-07:00">June 30th, 8:06pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas Mavericks are coming off an NBA Finals appearance, their first since the 2010-11 season. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-free-agency-2024-tracker">NBA free agency</a> negotiation period underway, the Mavericks are looking at ways to upgrade the roster to make another strong playoff run. The Mavericks <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-steals-naji-marshall-from-pelicans-amid-klay-thompson-pursuit">agreed to terms</a> with Naji Marshall in free agency, and their reason for doing so was the fact that they’re <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1807599690126410120" rel="noopener">probably going to lose</a> Derrick Jones Jr. as per longtime NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>Stein reports that, “Dallas pivoted to signing Naji Marshall, league sources say, after unexpectedly conceding tonight that it would likely not have the wherewithal to retain Derrick Jones Jr. while the Mavs focus on the sign-and-trade pursuit of Klay Thompson.”</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. had a strong season for the Mavericks and is likely drawing interest from other teams in free agency. But the Mavericks coming to terms in free agency with Naji Marshall is not a bad fallback option, especially if they’re able to land Klay Thompson as well.</p><p>Marshall and Jones’ stats last season were similar across the board. Marshall averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists while Jones averaged 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Marshall was a Swiss army knife type player for the New Orleans Pelicans while Jones was a capable 3&amp;D type player for the Mavericks. Jones was a starter though for the Mavericks while Marshall came off the bench for the Pelicans.</p><h2><b>Mavericks pursuing Klay Thompson in free agency<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Klay-Thompson-warmups.jpeg"><figcaption>Card Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>With Klay Thompson’s likely departure from the Golden State Warriors, the Mavericks are one of the teams <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1807535956947341630" rel="noopener">reportedly pursuing</a> the future Hall of Fame wing along with the the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers as per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.</p><p>Thompson would no doubt make a major impact for the Mavericks. While the former All-Star has seen his production slip in recent seasons, he can still be an effective player for a contending team. He would add consistent shooting to a team that lacked that against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.</p><p>Thompson is a five-time NBA All-Star and was an integral part of the Warriors four championship in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. This past season, he appeared in 77 games, the most he’s played in since returning to the court following back to back major injuries that caused him to miss the entirety of the 2019-20 season and 2020-21 season.</p><p>Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists with splits of 43.2 percent shooting from the field, 38.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and a league-leading 92.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. reason for pursuing Naji Marshall

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-derrick-jones-jr-change-that-could-lead-mavericks-exit');   ga('set', 'title', 'The Derrick Jones Jr. change that could lead to Mavericks exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/7559744980.jpg"></figure><h1>The Derrick Jones Jr. change that could lead to Mavericks exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-30T12:41:11-07:00">June 30th, 12:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-30T12:41:11-07:00">June 30th, 12:41pm</time><address><a>Nayan Brahmbhatt</a>Nayan Brahmbhatt is a recent graduate from Queen's University's Smith School of Business living in Toronto, Ontario. He is passionate about and has been involved in sports since a young age, and continues to reminisce about the (brief) time Kawhi spent in Toronto. Although he can talk shop about the Raptors and Ravens all day, what's really always on his mind is having finished his undergrad without having won a single fantasy or intramural league.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Derrick Jones Jr., a key starter for the Dallas Mavericks during their NBA Finals run, is currently facing a pivotal moment in his career that could lead to a significant change in his professional trajectory. As Jones approaches unrestricted free agency, a decision to change representation has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/nba-free-agency-live-tracker-updates-deals/4V28798D4yCU/Oy3zEHTcxo0s/" rel="noopener">introduced a level</a> of uncertainty regarding his future with the Mavericks.</p><p>On Friday, renowned NBA journalist Marc Stein reported that Jones had decided to leave his long-time agent Aaron Turner to join Klutch Sports, led by Rich Paul. However, according to the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) guidelines, players who wish to change agents must observe a 15-day waiting period before signing with a new agency.</p><p>This rule, first highlighted by Yahoo’s Jake Fischer, means that Jones would not be able to secure representation through Klutch Sports until July 11, nearly two weeks after the start of free agency at 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.</p><p>This timing creates a unique and challenging scenario for Jones and the Mavericks. Without representation, Jones will be unable to negotiate effectively with teams, including Dallas, once free agency begins. This delay raises doubts about his ability to secure a favorable contract promptly and casts uncertainty over his potential return to the Mavericks, which had previously been considered a mutual priority.</p><p>There are a few potential ways this situation could be resolved. One possibility is that Jones continues to negotiate his next contract through his current agent, Aaron Turner, who has represented him since he entered the league.</p><p>Another option is for Jones and Turner to mutually agree to waive the contractual waiting period, allowing Klutch Sports to take him on as a client sooner than July 11. However, as of now, no such agreement has been reported, and Jones remains without official representation as free agency looms.</p><p>The Dallas Mavericks, led by General Manager Nico Harrison, have expressed a strong desire to retain Jones. Harrison described Jones as “priority one” in a post-season press conference, underscoring the team’s commitment to bringing him back. Jones’ performance during the Mavericks’ Finals run demonstrated his value to the team, and losing him would be a significant blow.</p><p>However, the dynamics of NBA free agency are fast-paced and often unpredictable. While they are keen on re-signing Jones, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-believe-mavericks-klay-thompson-favorite">Mavericks also have other significant</a> targets, most notably Klay Thompson.</p><p>Reports from The Athletic suggest that the Mavericks are expected to make a serious push for Thompson, a four-time NBA champion likely to leave the Golden State Warriors after 13 seasons. Balancing these priorities could be challenging, especially if Jones’ representation issue remains unresolved.</p><p>Under Turner’s representation, Jones signed with Dallas last summer at the league’s veteran minimum. This calculated gamble has positioned him for a substantial payday that could potentially double his $28 million career earnings. Jones’ impressive performance has likely increased his market value, and he will be looking to capitalize on that in his next contract. However, the current uncertainty surrounding his representation could complicate negotiations and affect his ability to secure the best possible deal.</p><p>Despite the complications, there remains some optimism within the Mavericks organization. According to a source within the team, there is hope that the unusual situation could be resolved quickly, possibly as soon as Sunday. The source indicated that Jones could still negotiate through Turner or reach an agreement to expedite his transition to Klutch Sports.</p><p>Adding to the intrigue, <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1807489348532629745" rel="noopener">Marc Stein tweeted</a> that there is optimism in Dallas about re-signing Jones even if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nuggets-mavericks-join-list-potential-klay-thompson-suitors">Mavericks succeed in acquiring Klay</a> Thompson. This suggests that the team is preparing for various scenarios and remains committed to retaining Jones, regardless of other potential acquisitions.</p><h2>Broader Implications for the Mavericks, Derrick Jones Jr.</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-warming-up.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The outcome of Jones’ free agency and the potential acquisition of Thompson could significantly impact the Mavericks’ roster and future prospects. If the Mavericks manage to sign Thompson, they might need to make additional roster adjustments, potentially involving trades or other moves.</p><p>For instance, Quentin Grimes has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Josh Green if Green is traded as part of a deal to acquire Thompson.</p><p>These developments highlight the complex and fluid nature of NBA free agency, where player movements, agent changes, and team strategies intersect in unpredictable ways. For the Mavericks, navigating these challenges will be crucial in building a competitive team for the upcoming season.</p><p>As Derrick Jones Jr. approaches free agency without official representation, the uncertainty surrounding his future with the Mavericks has introduced a significant wrinkle in the team’s offseason plans. While the Mavericks remain hopeful of re-signing Jones, they must also prepare for the possibility of losing him amid the fast-paced and competitive landscape of NBA free agency.</p><p>The next few days will be critical in determining Jones’ future and the Mavericks’ ability to retain a key player who played a pivotal role in their recent success.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The Derrick Jones Jr. change that could lead to Mavericks exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-decision-ahead-nba-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Derrick Jones Jr makes eye-opening decision ahead of NBA free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Derrick-Jones-Jr-makes-eye-opening-decision-ahead-of-NBA-free-agency.jpg"></figure><h1>Derrick Jones Jr makes eye-opening decision ahead of NBA free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-28T21:54:41-07:00">June 28th, 9:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-28T21:54:41-07:00">June 28th, 9:54pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, covering the Los Angeles Lakers, NBA at-large, and gaming.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Derrick Jones Jr. has enlisted Rich Paul of Klutch Sports as his new agent as he <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1806840284807876792" rel="noopener">enters free agency as per</a> NBA correspondent Marc Stein. The Dallas Mavericks are keen on re-signing Jones, who became an essential three-and-D wing during their Finals campaign.</p><p>The 8-year NBA veteran joined the Mavericks on a one-year, $2.7 million deal for the 2023-24 season. After showing substantial improvement last year, he is expected to pursue a higher salary in his upcoming contract.</p><p>Derrick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-dallas-re-sign-2024-nba-free-agency">Jones Jr. reached career highs</a> in minutes and scoring as a regular starting wing for the Mavericks. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 23.5 minutes per game, shooting 48.3% from the field, 34.3% from three-point range, and 71.3% from the free-throw line.</p><h2><b>Dallas Mavericks prioritizing resigning Derrick Jones Jr.</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-warming-up.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>General Manager Nico Harrison has highlighted that re-signing forward Derrick Jones Jr. is of utmost importance for Dallas this offseason, describing it as “priority 1A and 1B.”</p><p>While the reason behind Jones’ decision to switch agents before the offseason is unclear, it’s evident that he’s seeking a big contract offer, whether it comes from Dallas or another team.</p><p>Recently, in a bid to free up cap space for an offer to Derrick Jones Jr. The Dallas Mavericks agreed to trade <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-tim-hardaway-sr-adds-tim-hardaway-jr-trade-buzz">veteran sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr.</a> to the Detroit Pistons. The trade involves sending Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round picks to Detroit in exchange for Quentin Grimes.</p><p>For Dallas, the primary goal is retaining Jones Jr. with the trade saving the Mavericks nearly $12 million, providing enough cap space for the team to use most of the $12.9 million mid-level exception to re-sign Jones as a free agent.</p><p>However, Jones may decide to explore other options, and one potential destination comes to mind given that Paul is now his agent. Paul is renowned for representing NBA superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, and he has a track record of successfully guiding his clients to join the Lakers.</p><h2><b>Tim Hardaway Jr.’s exit for retaining Derrick Jones Jr.</b></h2><p>The departure of Hardaway Jr. isn’t a significant on-court loss for the Mavericks, if at all. While Hardaway remains a capable shooter who averaged 14.4 points per game last season with a 35.3% three-point shooting percentage, he fell out of Jason Kidd’s primary rotation during crucial playoff games.</p><p>He only saw substantial playing time in the final few games of the Finals, where he scored 15 points in Game 4. Grimes, despite missing time due to injuries last season, can potentially fill the minutes vacated by Hardaway.</p><p>With about $50 million still available in cap space, Detroit remains flexible in free agency.</p><p>Additionally, by adding veteran shooter Hardaway alongside Cade Cunningham, the Pistons aim to surround their young star with players who can excel at knocking down shots.</p><p>Fortunately for Dallas, they only have two unrestricted free agents this offseason—Jones Jr. and Marcus Morris Sr.—so they can expect to retain most of their NBA Finals-contending team for next year.</p><p>Whether Jones’ signing with Klutch Sports hints at a potential move to Los Angeles this summer is open to interpretation, but it’s a situation worth monitoring as free agency gets underway.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Derrick Jones Jr makes eye-opening decision ahead of NBA free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/derrick-jones-jr-net-worth');   ga('set', 'title', 'Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth in 2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Derrick-Jones-Jr.s-net-worth-in-2024.jpg"></figure><h1>Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth in 2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-31T09:30:47-07:00">May 31st, 9:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-31T09:30:47-07:00">May 31st, 9:30am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/spencersee10" rel="facebook">Spencer See</a>Spencer See is a part-time writer at ClutchPoints focusing on the NBA, evergreen content and celebrity lifestyle. He is also a lifelong fan of LeBron James. In his free time, he either goes fishing or watches basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth in 2024 is $2 million. Jones is a forward for the Dallas Mavericks. He is a onetime NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion. Let’s take a closer look at Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth in 2024.</p><h2><b>What is Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth in 2024: $2 million (estimate)</b></h2><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p><a href="https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/nba/derrick-jones-jr-net-worth/" rel="noopener">Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth</a> in 2024 is $2 million. This is according to reputable outlets such as Celebrity Net Worth.</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. was born on Feb. 15, 1997, in Chester, Pa.. He attended Archbishop John Carroll High School.</p><p>During his senior year, Jones put up 19.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. For his efforts, he earned several honors at the high school level, including Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball, the Delaware County Player of the Year, PIAA Triple-A Player of the Year, and made the First Team All-Catholic League, according to <a href="https://unlvrebels.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/derrick-jr-/5212#:~:text=During%20his%20high%20school%20career,All%2DCatholic%20League%20..." rel="noopener">sources</a>.</p><p>Coming out of high school, <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/166853/derrick-jones" rel="noopener">Jones was a four-star prospect</a>, according to ESPN. He ranked first in his state while placing fourth and sixth in his position and at the regional level, respectively.</p><p>Jones received offers from various college basketball programs such as Villanova, UConn, Temple, Saint Joseph’s, Auburn, and UNLV. He eventually opted to attend UNLV .</p><p>Jones was a one-and-done prospect for the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. In a Runnin’ Rebels uniform, Jones registered 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 59 percent from the field overall. In the same year, UNLV went 18-15.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. goes undrafted</b></h2><p>After only one season with UNLV, Jones initially declared for the 2016 NBA Draft while leaving the possibility of returning to college basketball. He eventually hired an agent, foregoing his remaining years of college eligibility. However, on draft night, Jones was not drafted.</p><p>Nevertheless, the Sacramento Kings signed him to their Summer League roster. Unfortunately, a groin injury sidelined Jones from the tournament, as per <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/basketball/nba-summer-league/nba-summer-league-day-6-blog-unlvs-derrick-jones-sidelined-by-groin-injury/" rel="noopener">reports</a>.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. signs with the Suns</b></h2><p>Jones’ NBA hopes remained alive after the Phoenix Suns picked him up for training camp, according to <a href="https://www.nba.com/suns/press-release/phoenix-suns-sign-four-players-ahead-training-camp" rel="noopener">reports</a>. The UNLV standout impressed enough for the <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/transactions/_/id/21067/derrick-jones-jr" rel="noopener">Suns to sign him</a> to a three-year rookie deal worth $3.4 million, according to Spotrac. In his rookie season, Jones averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 56 percent from the field overall.</p><p>In his rookie days, Jones juggled his time in the NBA by also playing for the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G-League. The now defunct Northern Arizona Suns were the Phoenix Suns’ affiliate team in the NBA G-League. They are now known as the Motor City Cruise, which is currently the NBA G-League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons.</p><p>At the G-League level, Jones Jr. produced 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game on 50 percent shooting in his first season. In the 2017-18 season, he improved his numbers to 15.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while making 49 percent of his shots.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. signs a two-way contract with the Heat</b></h2><p>After being waived by the Suns, the Miami Heat signed Jones to a two-way contract. In 14 games with the Heat, Jones averaged 3.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 39 percent from the floor.</p><p>Being on a two-way deal, the Heat also assigned Jones to play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, which is the G-League affiliate team of the Heat. For the Skyforce, Jones registered 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game on 51 percent shooting.</p><p>Prior to the 2018-19 season, the Heat rewarded Jones with a two-year contract worth $3.2 million, based on <a href="https://hoopshabit.com/2018/07/02/2018-nba-free-agency-grades-heat-bringing-back-derrick-jones-jr/" rel="noopener">reports</a>. Jones carved out a reputation as an athletic high flyer who could punish teams on the fastbreak. In the 2018-19 season, Jones improved his numbers to 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game on 49 percent shooting.</p><p>A season later, Jones participated in the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest, where he emerged as the Slam Dunk Contest Champion at the expense of Aaron Gordon. But more importantly, Jones was part of the Heat squad that made it all the way to the 2020 NBA Finals inside the NBA Bubble. Unfortunately, the Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. signs with the Blazers</b></h2><p>With Jones’ contract expired, he opted to sign with the Portland Trail Blazers as a free agent on a two-year deal worth $19 million, as per online <a href="https://www.tsn.ca/report-portland-trail-blazers-derrick-jones-jr-reach-two-year-contract-1.1554746#:~:text=The%20Portland%20Trail%20Blazers%20have,to%20The%20Athletic's%20Shams%20Charania.&amp;text=The%20Portland%20Trail%20Blazers%20have,to%20The%20Athletic's%20Shams%20Charania." rel="noopener">outlets</a>. In his lone season with the Blazers, Jones averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 48 percent from the field overall.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. is traded to the Bulls</b></h2><p>After one season in Portland, the Blazers traded Jones as part of a three-team deal involving the Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a trade headlined by Lauri Markkanen. Landing in Chicago, Jones tallied 5.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game on 54 percent shooting in his first season as a Bull.</p><p>With a season in Chicago in the books, Jones remained in the Windy City by signing a two-year contract extension worth $6.56 million, according to <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/i-always-fight-dallas-mavericks-starter-derrick-jones-jr-continues-to-impress-game-5-r1-24" rel="noopener">reports</a>. Jones averaged 5.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game during the 2022-23 season while making 50 percent of his shots from the field.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. signs with the Mavericks</b></h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvvYTOHJDXv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvvYTOHJDXv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by 🏀Chicago Bulls Fan Page🏀 (@chicagobullsnation.23)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>After declining his player option with the Bulls, Jones emerged as a free agent. The Slam Dunk Contest Champion <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavs-news-dallas-contract-with-ex-bulls-forward-will-please-luka-doncic">signed with the Dallas Mavericks</a>. Jones agreed to a one-year deal worth $2 million, as per <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2024/5/15/24157480/report-derrick-jones-jr-wants-to-be-back-with-the-mavericks" rel="noopener">sources</a>.</p><p>In the 2023-24 season, he averaged a career-high 8.6 points to go along with 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game on 48 percent shooting. Jones has also been a crucial piece for the Mavericks as they have advanced to the 2024 NBA Finals.</p><p>Nevertheless, were you at all stunned by Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth in 2024?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Derrick Jones Jr.’s net worth in 2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-honest-stance-dallas-future');   ga('set', 'title', 'Derrick Jones Jr.’s honest stance on Mavericks future');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mavericks-news-Derrick-Jones-Jrs-honest-stance-on-Dallas-future.jpg"></figure><h1>Derrick Jones Jr.’s honest stance on Mavericks future</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-15T09:49:13-07:00">May 15th, 9:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-15T09:51:12-07:00">May 15th, 9:51am</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner. Smith has previously written for FanSided and Last Word on Sports, and his primary interests lie within the NBA and distance running.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas Mavericks are amid an intense second-round battle in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-kyrie-irving-game-5-thunder-nba-playoffs">Dallas’ series with</a> the Oklahoma City Thunder will go down as one of the most memorable of the 2024 postseason. Of course, the Mavs might not have made it as far without Derrick Jones Jr. Jones could get a new deal ahead of the 2024 NBA free agency period, and a close associate revealed his thoughts on staying in Dallas.</p><p>Jones’s agent, Aaron Turner, gave a bright outlook on the forward’s future with the Mavericks.</p><p>“He loves his teammates, he loves Jason Kidd, he really likes the front office, (Mavericks president) Nico (Harrison) and Matt Riccardi. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5490499/2024/05/15/derrick-jones-jr-mavericks-free-agent/" rel="noopener">He wants to be back</a>,” Turner revealed, per The Athletic.</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr.’s willingness to return to the Mavericks is a positive sign. Re-signing the coveted forward to a new contract during the NBA free agency period will likely be one of  Dallas’ top priorities. It would make sense for Jones to return, given his seamless fit on the team.</p><p>Jones joined the Mavericks in August of 2023 after a two-year stint with the Chicago Bulls. The high-flying forward has had some of the best production of his career since signing with Dallas. Jones averaged a career-high 8.6 points and 0.7 steals per game in 23.4 minutes of action during the regular season. He also shot a career-best 34.3 percent on three-pointers.</p><p>Jones has emerged as a serviceable defender for the Mavericks. At 6’6″ with a 7’0″ wingspan, he is tough to score on and provides versatility that allows the Mavs more flexibility with matchups. Most fans know the athletic forward for his electric dunking ability, which he has shown no shortage of during his time with Dallas.</p><p>If all goes well, Jones could have a long-term future with the Mavs. In the meantime, he and his team will try to advance to the next round of the NBA Playoffs.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr., Mavericks look to get past troublesome Thunder </b></h2><p>Dallas is approaching a pivotal Game 5 matchup with the Thunder. The series has been back and forth, with each team trading wins. After taking a 2-1 lead in Game 3, the Mavericks fell 100-96 in a series-tying Game 4 effort from OKC.</p><p>Naturally, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-warning-mavericks-omar-the-wire-trench-coat">Dallas is having trouble</a> containing 2023-24 NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points in Game 4. Nevertheless, the Mavs have two of the best scorers in the NBA on their team as well.</p><p>Luka Doncic leads Dallas’ attack with all-around offensive prowess. He did not score up to his potential in Game 4 but did nearly everything else on the court. Doncic is coming off a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists ahead of Game 5. The star guard is dealing with knee and ankle issues, but hopefully, he can manage his pain and stay healthy.</p><p>Doncic has stellar help with Kyrie Irving. Irving can score with ease and uses an arsenal of moves to catch defenders off balance. The star guard had somewhat of a letdown showing in Game 4, scoring just nine points in 41 minutes. He looks to return strong for the next crucial matchup.</p><p>Can Derrick Jones Jr. and the Mavericks overcome the tough Thunder and regain the series lead on Wednesday night?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Derrick Jones Jr.’s honest stance on Mavericks future

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-phenomenal-game-4-thunder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. makes ‘phenomenal’ admission despite Game 4 loss to Thunder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Derrick-Jones-Jr-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. makes ‘phenomenal’ admission despite Game 4 loss to Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-14T14:15:24-07:00">May 14th, 2:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-14T14:15:24-07:00">May 14th, 2:15pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks were defeated 100-96 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Monday. Dallas was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-kyrie-irving-scoring-frustrations-thunder">unable to find a rhythm offensively</a>. The Mavs’ defensive effort, though, was impressive.</p><p>They kept the Thunder in check for most of the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seemingly couldn’t miss in the fourth quarter and he ultimately ended up with 34 points in the Thunder’s win. Nevertheless, Dallas limited Oklahoma City to 100 points while playing a respectable brand of defense.</p><p>Derrick Jones Jr. has emerged as one of the leaders on the defensive end of the floor. He’s a terrific defender who is often tasked with guarding opposing teams’ best players.</p><p>Jones knows the Mavs need to be better on offense, but he was pleased with the team’s defensive effort.</p><p>“We did well,” Jones <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1790453114102833552" rel="noopener">said on Tuesday</a> while speaking to reporters. “Holding any team to 100 points in this league in this day and age is phenomenal. We just gotta knock down our shots, knock down our free throws.”</p><p>Mavs head coach Jason Kidd made a similar comment.</p><p>“Great effort, defense was incredible,” Kidd <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1790476884158902633" rel="noopener">said on Tuesday</a>. “We held the team to 100 points. So our offense has to be better. We can’t turn the ball over, we gotta get shots. Hopefully we can do that in Game 5.”</p><h2><b>Mavericks need to find balance vs. Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Derrick-Jones-Jr-celebrates-vs-Thunder.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>There were times during the early portion of the regular season where Dallas’ offense carried the team to victories. So far against the Thunder in the NBA playoffs, the Mavericks’ defense has led the way.</p><p>When Dallas performed especially well during the second-half of the season, they were utilizing a balanced all-around attack. The defense was sharp, but the offense was contributing at a high level as well.</p><p>In order to defeat the Thunder, the Mavericks need to recapture that balance. PJ Washington has been terrific from an offensive standpoint over the past few games. Overall, though, the Mavs are struggling to score points on a consistent basis right now.</p><p>Of course, the Thunder deserve credit. They feature a top-tier defense. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic have yet to record any eye-popping scoring performances in the series. Oklahoma City clearly wants to contain the Mavs star-studded duo.</p><p>It is encouraging to see the Mavs’ defense perform well. The Mavericks still almost earned a Game 4 victory despite shooting just 40.9 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from deep, not to mention their lackluster 52.2 percent effort from the free throw line. Dallas’ defense kept them afloat.</p><p>If their defense continues to excel and if the offense can find just a bit more stability, the Mavericks will win this series. However, Oklahoma City is a team that never gives up. Dallas was seemingly in control of Game 4 until the final portion of the fourth quarter.</p><p>With all of that being said, Mavericks fans should remain optimistic. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are far too talented to remain as quiet as they have been in the scoring department moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. makes ‘phenomenal’ admission despite Game 4 loss to Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-dallas-nba-championship');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. won’t be ‘out-worked’ amid NBA championship pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/D-Jones-exclusive-interview.jpeg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. won’t be ‘out-worked’ amid NBA championship pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-03T11:51:56-07:00">May 3rd, 11:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-03T11:51:56-07:00">May 3rd, 11:51am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Exclusive</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are looking to clinch a first-round series victory in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. On Friday morning, the team held a shoot-around at the American Airlines Center. Emerging defensive star Derrick Jones Jr. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z8IP5yFXGQ&amp;t=15s" rel="noopener">took some time for an exclusive</a> interview with ClutchPoints after the shoot-around.</p><p>Jones, 27, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-derrick-jones-jr-dallas-contract-x-factor">has an incredible story</a>. He was not selected after declaring for the 2016 NBA Draft. Jones made his NBA debut with the Phoenix Suns after signing a deal. He continued to work hard and began to earn more minutes as his career progressed.</p><p>In August of 2023, the Mavericks agreed to a contract with Jones in what was an overlooked deal for the most part. Dallas clearly believed in Jones, however, and the deal has worked out for all parties involved.</p><p>He started 66 of the 76 games he appeared in (both of which were career-highs) during the 2023-24 campaign. Jones also received the most minutes per game (23.5) of his career.</p><p>He performed well on both sides of the ball. Jones’ defense especially stood out. Throughout the season, he was consistently asked to guard opposing teams’ best players and Jones always accepted the challenge.</p><p>Now, he is in the NBA playoffs and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-100-real-on-challenge-of-guarding-kawhi-leonard">playing a crucial role</a> for a Mavericks team with championship aspirations.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr. exclusive interview</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-dunks-vs-Hawks.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><b>Joey Mistretta: Tell me about your playoff experience so far?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>It’s great… My first experience playing in this arena. Fans are great, I love it. The energy was there. Even the game we were down 31, the energy was still there. Fans were still giving everything they had… Once the run started to go, it even got louder and louder. I love those types of environments. I love when it gets loud. That’s just how I love it.</p><p><b>Joey Mistretta: When you are coming out of college, going undrafted and everything, if you would have told yourself where you are now… Playing this role with this playoff team, what would you have thought back then?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>I mean, I’d believe it. I know the type of person I am, I know what I’m capable of, I know my work ethic. Personally, I’m just not gonna be out-worked… I’m not going to allow somebody to out-work me out there. That’s just my game.</p><h2><b>Jones’ elite defense for Mavericks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/James-Harden-drives-to-basket-vs-Mavericks.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><b>Joey Mistretta: When it comes to defense, you said you’re a terrific defender. I think everyone agrees with that. Who would you say is the hardest player to guard in the entire NBA?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>It’s tough because there’s a lot of offensively-skilled players in this league. It’s tough to just pinpoint it down to just one person. It’s a tough matchup every night… You never have an easy night to guard. You just gotta learn everybody’s tendencies, learn what they like to do, learn what they don’t like to do. Just try to force them to take tough shots.</p><p><b>Joey Mistretta: How much does it mean to you being called… to guard James (Harden), to guard Paul (George), those tough guys, what does that mean to you?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>I mean, it means everything to me personally. That’s what I want. That’s what I told coach that’s what I wanted when I first got here. We had a team meeting as players, wanted to talk about goals for the team, goals individually… I told everybody that I wanted to be on the All-Defensive team. I feel like my defense was there. Just certain things didn’t fall into play for me to get on the All-Defensive team.</p><h2><b>Jones also plays role in Mavs’ offensive attack</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-dunks-vs-Clippers.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><b>Joey Mistretta: I love your game, I love the defense. But the offense is good too. You shoot threes, you’re an elite dunker. How much pride do you take in your offensive game, just threes, dunks, everything?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>I work for it. That’s one thing I do, I work everyday. I come to the gym, I put in my work and I go home, relax. Then come back to the gym, put in some more work. It’s just finally good to see my work paying off. I’m just getting an opportunity to be out there and do the things offensively. Coach trusts me, teammates trust me. It’s probably my first time, second time in my career that I’ve had this opportunity. I’m blessed and I’m grateful.</p><p><b>Joey Mistretta: I know everyone gets asked about Luka (Doncic) and Kyrie (Irving). I’m going to try to change up that question a little bit if I can… When you first came to this team, I’m sure you expected them to play one way. Has it lived up to what you thought, or has it been different?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>For me, it’s been everything that I expected. I knew Kai and Luka are gifted offensively. I mean it’s tough to stay in front of them, it’s tough to guard them. So when they have it going… I know how to play alongside them. You give them space, you make sure they got the matchup that they like, give them space and let them create. If your man help, then they gonna make the right play. They’re basketball players, they’re not selfish players. They’re gonna make the right play every time. If your man help, they going to dish it to you and they gonna have to trust in that confidence in you that you gonna make the right play after they make that play. I knew they were basketball players and they’re very smart individuals so they gonna play the game the right way.</p><p><b>Joey Mistretta: Coach (Jason) Kidd, he’s received some criticism in the past. I think he’s doing a great job this year. Can you share your thoughts on what it’s been like playing for him so far?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>Amazing. Like I said, coach got the confidence in me. And they are just installing the confidence and the trust in me. I’m living with it and I’m going.</p><h2><b>Derrick Jones Jr.’s ceiling and Mavericks’ championship pursuit</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Derrick-Jones-Jr.-celebrates-with-Kyrie-Irving.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><b>Joey Mistretta: Couple more questions, How high do you think your ceiling is in the NBA?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>As high as I want it to be. I just gotta keep working and keep going at what I’m doing.</p><p><b>Joey Mistretta: And then last question, what will it take for the Mavericks to win the 2024 NBA Finals?</b></p><p><b>Derrick Jones Jr: </b>Everything that we’ve been doing in the games that we’ve won. Playing defense, getting the shots that we need, getting out on the break. Just making it a tough game for everybody else.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. won’t be ‘out-worked’ amid NBA championship pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-100-real-on-challenge-of-guarding-kawhi-leonard');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. gets 100% real on challenge of guarding Kawhi Leonard');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mavericks-news-Derrick-Jones-Jr.-gets-100-real-on-challenge-of-guarding-Kawhi-Leonard.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. gets 100% real on challenge of guarding Kawhi Leonard</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-19T17:28:47-07:00">April 19th, 5:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-19T17:28:47-07:00">April 19th, 5:28pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are currently gearing up for their upcoming first round playoff series vs the Los Angeles Clippers, the team that sent them home both in 2020 as part of the NBA Bubble and during the COVID-impacted 2021 postseason. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-injury-updates-clippers-nba-playoffs-series">The Mavericks undoubtedly</a> peaked at the right time this regular season, winning 16 out of their last 19 games, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-ime-udoka-rockets-luka-doncic-kyrie-irving-dallas">Doncic looked the part</a> of a legitimate league MVP candidate in learning to play alongside co-star Kyrie Irving and helping Dallas bounce back from its embarrassing whiff on postseason contention in the 2022-23 season, shortly after Irving’s arrival.</p><p>One revelation for the Mavericks this season has been <a href="https://twitter.com/noahweber00/status/1781386258486382991" rel="noopener">none other than</a> forward Derrick Jones Jr., who has been a bit of a Swiss Army knife for the team, filling in the gaps on offense and showing off his improved three-point jumper in addition to taking on tough defensive assignments on the other end of the floor.</p><p>There’s no doubt that at certain points of the upcoming series vs the Clippers, Jones will be tasked with guarding Los Angeles star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, both of whom have eviscerated the Mavericks during the previous two postseason matchups.</p><p>Recently, Jones got one hundred percent honest on his mindset as he approaches that marquee matchup.</p><p>“Treat them like they any other man. I just go out there and guard. I watch film, I look at people’s tendencies, I watch what they like to do, I watch what they don’t like to do, try to make them do what they don’t like to do a lot,” said Jones, per Noah Weber of the Smoking Cuban on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.</p><h2>What is the Mavericks’ ceiling?</h2><p>Down the stretch of the 2023-24 season, the Mavericks looked like legitimate championship contenders, with Irving and Doncic finally learning to play off of one another as opposed to canceling each other out, and with the team’s savvy trade deadline additions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford paying dividends on the defensive end of the floor, which had been the team’s Achilles heel in recent seasons.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether the Mavericks will be able to survive having both Doncic and Irving on that end of the floor, as recent NBA history suggests that championship teams generally do not have two negative defenders in their starting lineup, which Irving and Doncic both are (although both have shown at least improved effort on that end of the floor as things have progressed).</p><p>However, there is something to be said about the fear that Doncic and Irving strike into their opponent’s hearts due to their sheer shotmaking ability, an ability that has been supplemented with a more versatile and balanced supporting cast down the stretch of this season.</p><p>In any case, the Mavericks and Clippers will get things underway in their series on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 PM ET from the Crypto.com Arena. The game will be carried nationally by ABC, before Game 2 switches to TNT on Tuesday evening.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr. gets 100% real on challenge of guarding Kawhi Leonard

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-derrick-jones-jr-questions-dallas-poor-energy-after-bad-loss-joel-embiid-less-76ers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Derrick Jones Jr. questions Mavericks’ poor energy after bad loss to Joel Embiid-less 76ers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Standard_Thumbnail.psdDerrick_Jones_Jr._questions_Dallas__poor_energy_after_bad_loss_to_Joel_Embiid-less_76ers.webp"></figure><h1>Derrick Jones Jr. questions Mavericks’ poor energy after bad loss to Joel Embiid-less 76ers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-03T17:10:02-08:00">March 3rd, 5:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-03T17:10:02-08:00">March 3rd, 5:10pm</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas Mavericks suffered a disappointing 120-116 loss at home to the Philadelphia 76ers, who are still dealing with the absence of Joel Embiid. Derrick Jones Jr. got <a href="https://twitter.com/sixfivelando/status/1764428185096073271" rel="noopener">brutally honest</a> on the lack of energy that led to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-tyrese-maxey-returns-to-game-after-injury-scare-vs-mavericks" rel="noopener">the Mavericks</a> being upset at home against the 76ers.</p><p>“Play harder. It’s a 48-minute game, not a 12-minute game,” Derrick Jones Jr. said, via Landon Thomas of Mavs Fans For Life. “We can’t just play hard in the fourth quarter; we’ve got to play harder all game. I don’t think there is a reason. Just got to give it our all. I don’t really see a reason.”</p><p>For the 76ers, it was Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey leading the way, which was the way it was drawn up for them when Joel Embiid went down with his injury. Tobias Harris led the 76ers in scoring with 28, while Tyrese Maxey scored 24. Buddy Hield, Paul Reed and Kelly Oubre Jr. all scored double digits, with Oubre being the third 76er to reach 20 points or more.</p><p>Jones alluded to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-tyrese-maxey-defuses-concerns-over-head-injury-scare-vs-mavericks" rel="noopener">the Mavericks</a> only showing up for the fourth quarter. It is a valid critique. The Mavericks entered the fourth quarter down 14 to Philadelphia, and outscored the 76ers by 10 in the final frame. However, it was too little, too late for the Mavericks.</p><p>As a result of the loss, the Mavericks fell to 34-27 overall, and they sit in eight in the Western Conference. They are not far back from a playoff spot and avoiding the play-in tournament, but they will have to try to bounce back from this game on Tuesday at home against a high-octane Indiana Pacers team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
10.3	3.5	0.8	0.3	1.2

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
10.3	3.5	0.8	0.3	1.2

Derrick Jones news

Derrick
Jones news