NEW ORLEANS — At least one member of the Pelicans will be taking home some hardware this offseason.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that Pelicans rookie sensation Herb Jones has been named to the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Jones was selected by the Pelicans with the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He appeared in 78 games with an impressive 69 starts for the Pelicans this season, where he averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game during the regular season.
His inclusion comes after a season that saw the second round pick put up impressive numbers and particularly shine on the defensive side of the ball.
Jones finished the regular season ranked first among all rookies in steals with 130, second in games played at 78, third in blocks with 60 and third in total minutes played at 2,335. He also set a new franchise record for combined steals and blocks in a season at 190, becoming the only rookie in Pelicans franchise history to have 100-plus steals and 55-plus blocks in a single season.
In the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Jones appeared and started in all six games during the first round against the Phoenix Suns, averaging 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
With his inclusion, Jones becomes the sixth rookie in franchise history to be named to an NBA All-Rookie Team. The previous players include Chris Paul in 2005-06, Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton in 2009-10, Anthony Davis in 2012-13, and Zion Williamson in 2019-20. Paul, Collison, Davis and Williamson were given First Team honors.
Jones is joined on the All-Rookie second team by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey, Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland, Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, and Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte.