Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. is one of the team’s most exciting young players. His elite athletic ability resulted in several incredible dunks during the 2018-19 season, and he seems ready to put on a show for Heat fans this season as well.
Prior to the Heat’s preseason game versus the Atlanta Hawks at AmericanAirlines Arena on Monday, Jones revealed that he looks forward to dunking from the moment he gets on the floor.
“I want to go dunk on somebody from the second I get in the game,” Jones said. “I’m going to do whatever I got to do to get to the rim, get my teammates open shots, get open rebounds, and knock down the shots that I get.”
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra recognizes the unique abilities of the 22-year-old forward as well as his impact on the team.
“DJ just brings an immediate boost of energy when he comes in the game,” said Spoelstra.
That energy is evident in the way Jones runs the break and soars through the air for dunks.
“I mean, I felt like we already knew that,” Jones said. “Once I get in the game, we got to go. We all like to run. We’re all young. So why not get the ball, get it out of the net and go?”
As Jones works on playing off the dribble, something he has done more during this preseason, he is bound to showcase the diversity in his game in the coming months.
“That’s something I’ve been working on, even before I got here,” he said. “It’s been part of my game. Now I’m just putting it to use.”
Don’t count on seeing less of Jones’ in-game dunks, though. In fact, as his floor game improves, we might see more exciting high-wire acts this season than ever before.
