After starting center Jonas Valanciunas departed the Pelicans for Washington in free agency and Larry Nance Jr. was included in the trade package for Dejounte Murray, New Orleans was left shorthanded in the middle heading into training camp, with minimum-salary free agent addition Daniel Theis representing the only experienced traditional center on the roster.
Rather than starting Theis, the Pelicans are eyeing versatile forward Herbert Jones as Valanciunas’ replacement heading into the 2024/25 season, ESPN’s Shams Charania told his colleagues on “The Pat McAfee Show” (YouTube video link).
“I’m told Herb Jones is essentially going to serve as the starting center for the Pelicans,” Charania said. “You look at CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Zion Williamson, a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, Zion Williamson‘s playing the five.'”
However the team opts to configure its intended frontcourt of Ingram, Jones and Williamson, New Orleans will have a lot of intriguing optionality on offense.
“[Head coach] Willie Green came out the other day and said, ‘[Zion’s] not the five… We’re not talking about fives, we’re talking about [playing] position-less,'” Charania said. “I do think there’s some credence to that, but at the end of the day someone’s going to have to guard the other centers, and it’s going to be Herb Jones a lot of the time.”
Jones, 26, was an All-Defensive First Teamer during his third season in 2023/24. The 6’7″ swingman was the lone player to make the First Team who was not a center. It sounds like if he earns the distinction again this year, that may not be the case.
As for Williamson, Charania asserts that the All-Star forward – who played in a career-high 70 games last year after missing significant time due to injuries in his first four seasons – appears healthy and focused this preseason.
“Everyone around the Pelicans believes he’s primed for a big season,” Charania said. “In past years, at this point in training camp or early in the season, there’s always been an injury… I think now, he’s not playing himself into conditioning, he already is in great shape.”
What? Dudes a 2 or 3 stop it.
He’s also an inch shorter than Daniel Theis.
He is an amazing wing defender maybe one of the best in the world at guarding wings and guards. Its idiotic to think he will be better not guarding the player he is perfectly suited for and instead think he can hold up when banging bodies with dudes 5 inches or more taller and much bulkier and stronger.
Draymond can famously guard 5s they still try as hard as they can to play with a center because of the physical toll it takes to do it, and he is both bigger and stronger than Herb…
@ real 2k. And….one’s a perimeter player, the other isn’t. Good luck with Herb at the 5.
Theis isn’t big enough to be a C. PF size
PJ Tucker was a serviceable center at 6’5″, in the past Marcus Smart at 6’3″ held his own against opposing bigs, Ben Wallace was a 6’9″ and a 4 time DPOY, Bam Adebayo is 6’9″ Draymond is all of 6’6″cash and Wes Unseld was an MVP at center at 6’7″.
You guys are drunk….the man isn’t a centre and a different player than all mentioned. You think this is a good idea Chuck? By Height Barkley should of been a shooting guard. But that wasn’t his game.
Ben Wallace mostly played PF. Bam is not a real C and can’t play against bigger C’s. Draymond at C is a joke. Tucker isn’t good or big enough. Marcus Smart at C……? Really?
Unseld is the only one that is legit
No Ben played C, Rasheed and McDyess played PF for those Pistons teams.
Ben did play C yes in career but I’m pretty sure he was playing PF and Rasheed was the C on the Pistons
Love McDyess, haven’t heard the name in awhile
Yeah, this is why people can’t take some of these old heads seriously.
“Ben Wallace mostly played the PF” no he didn’t, tf. He’s listed as a Center in almost every year he played in the league. He played Center 85% of the time for the Pistons, which is within the range of situational position changes. He was a Center. The 6’9″ big who could shut down everyone in the paint. That was his thing.
“Bam is not a real C” bro, he’s one of the best rim protectors in the league. The numbers back that. He got smoked by Jokic in the playoffs… yeah, so did literally every other Center in the league. That he can switch onto wing players and guard them only adds to his value. He tends to hold his own against larger bigs like Allen, Turner, Embiid, Anthony Davis, Gobert, and others.
He didn’t say anything about Smart as a Center, just that he can hold his own against bigs, which is true. Not by playing big and blocking, but by preventing them from getting turnaround shots and picking their pockets.
“Daymond at C is a joke” tell that to all of GSWs playoff opponents, lmao. It was done that way because it worked.
The only one where you had even a semblance of a point was Tucker.
You’ve been wrong about this every time, and you keep doubling down. Guys smaller than your preferred 6’11” minimum can and have played the 5 successfully. Get over it.
On the other hand, whether Jones is an actual fit there remains to be seen, and I’m skeptical. Not because of his height but because of his physicality and build. He’s leaner than most big men and more of a skill player than a stopper. He’s really good in his role, but I don’t think he’s a fit at the 5.
Dude you are always wrong. I am still waiting for you to respond back to two other post. You only know Cavs stuff plus you are a new age fan.
Jones is not a big man
Wallace and Wallace switched depending
Bam doesn’t shut down the post with 0.8 blocks per game. He gets bodied all the time. I saw D white on the Celtics destroy him lol
You don’t like C or PF and love this new age basketball. I like listening to your post but you are always wrong with me and others. So please take it easy kid
The great part is that I am an old head. I’m actually old enough to remember watching Unseld play. The Rockets did use PJ at the five after they traded Capela during the 19-20 season. They rotated in RoCo, Carroll, Tucker and Chandler dependent on matchups as I’m sure the Pelicans will do with Theis, Missi, Jones, Williamson and Ingram.
Yeah and how did that work for them during the 19–20 season?
PJT was never a center. He was playing often alongside Clint Capela.
Just because you guard opposing centers, doesn’t make you a center.
Wes Unseld played in the 60s and 70s so not applicable today.
M Bogues could of been a C in this era
Hey, he blocked Patrick Ewing in the playoffs, that’s pretty good defense lmao
Ha
Interesting matchup when they meet Memphis and they role out with 7’4″ Zach Edey.
NOP needs 5 that can play FT line extended, set picks, hit 12-18′ jump shots, maybe initiate some offense but most of all stay out of the lane and let Zion do his work.
If Blazers ready to move on from Ayton he could be a good fit. Vooch gives you less rim protection but could be a good fit too.
A level down Jalen Smith, who I think is on the Bulls now, also could do the job.
Make a offer for Ayton or a real C. NOP and GS with no real C on the roster ugghhhgjhhhh
The inability of modern bigs to post makes this (possibly) feasible. Green describes it well, it’s about the 5, not center necessarily. You can play without a center, but not without a 5. My only question is why can’t Zion play the 5. At least against bigger bodied guys. He seems to dismiss that out of hand.
Zion doesn’t have the mindset to play defense, at all, let alone against players that are his weight and/or taller. Dude would just get bruised in the post, and he already gets injured a lot.
If that’s true, and I don’t doubt it, the NOP, as an organization, should be more concerned with him chasing guys on the perimeter. His injuries, going back to college, stem mostly from that. Weight and poor alignment don’t mix well with speed.
The statement from the HC sounds to me more like something that came from the player (he doesn’t want to be thought of as a C, because it carries a stigma to some young players).
Can’t wait for them to play the Nuggets or Spurs.
Or Kings, Cavs, Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, etc. Basically any team that can throw out a tall Center, or one that is physically imposing in the post.
It goes both ways, of all teams you guys listed only the Spurs with Wembanyama and the Cavs with Mobley and Allen have bigs that can guard players on the perimeter.
The bigs onto those teams listed will probably be guarding Zion, who isn’t a perimeter player. They probably sag off him and wait for him to get in to the paint. Zion takes almost no shots outside of the paint.
This is goofy. Just trade for Ayton. The Blazers have 4 centers for no reason.
Ayton for Ingram straight-up works too. The only issue would be foolishness in the lockerroom because of the fact Anfernee Simons and Brandon Ingram have the same baby momma.
They have the blazers 3 times in the first 10 games. This strategy is cooked, not using their noggins. You have to have elite shooting everywhere to outpace the defensive shortcomings of playing an extremely undersized lineup.
This experiment will probably not last long. It’s reminiscent of the Bulls using Caruso to guard 4s, good way to get a guy injured on a regular basis. Just go sign a vet min, there’s guys out there who actually play the position.
Just because a player guards opposing centers, doesn’t make him a center.
Why are we going by what Shams says about positions? He doesn’t know ball that well. He just breaks news; he isn’t a journalist. Seriously, try reading his “writing,” it is brutal. They named an award for bad writing after him.
Theus will end up being the starting center until they inevitably are forced to go out and sign a big body or trade for Ayton or something. It’s not going to work starting an undersized wing at Center lol. They’ll get killed on the boards & on defense.