The Suns have been cornered. When Booker fell with an injury, it was doomed that this series would be an uphill battle. Now, they are in a 2-2 draw with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are gaining momentum, and they are not at all afraid of the Suns, the league's number one record.
The Pelicans are confident because their lineup not only has scoring weapons such as Ingram and CJ, but also fearsome monsters on the defensive end. Even the Suns' best players tremble when they play against him, and the monster's name is Herb Jones.
Herb Jones is the Pelicans' rookie with the 35th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. At first, not too many people paid attention to the second-round show, but pelicans management knew he had the ability to be a great defender, but... That's all.
During the regular season, Jones' defensive prowess began to show. As a rookie, he easily became the Pelicans' best defender, defending players in multiple positions. His height and agility allowed him to disturb anyone who tried to score points on him. Sadly, apart from Pelicans die-hard fans, few in the league pay attention to Jones' worth.
Facing the Suns in the playoffs gave Jones the chance to show off his talent. Especially in the G4 game, the Pelican rookie played a beautiful masterpiece. Jones was given the task of defending Paul in Games 3 and 4. In the third game, Jones failed to restrain Paul. But in game four, Jones showed his defensive prowess to the fans.
In the G4 game, Jones showed his final form. He let Paul score four points in the opening six minutes before failing to complete the score in the remaining 42 minutes. Unlike most strikers, Jones is very agile and he can easily keep up with the older Paul on the offensive end. If Paul hadn't beaten the Pelicans forward, he wouldn't have been able to finish the shot easily.
Throughout the game, Jones fired widely defensively, forcing Paul to make three turnovers in G4 (G2, G3 zero turnovers). In addition, he also gave three blocks on the defensive end, and all of them were three-point blocks. Bridges, Payne, and Shamet are all "victims."
The next G5 race is the Battle of Tennozan in this series. The Suns need to find a way to break through Herb Jones' defense. Jones' defensive prowess gives the Pelicans reason to be excited about the team's future. Next season, with Zion's return, the Pelicans will be an important force in the West.