Ranking the best Miami Heat players from 2000-2009
By Cory Sanning
5. Eddie Jones
Stats (2001-2007): 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 38 percent from 3-point range
Jones was traded along with Anthony Mason to the Heat prior to the 2000-01 season.
Looking to turn his team into a title contender, Riley shipped off Jamal Mashburn and P.J. Brown, but would lose Alonzo Mourning for the season to a rare kidney disease, leaving Jones as the team’s no. 1 option on offense.
In 63 games, Jones put up averages of 17.4 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the field.
Despite leading the team to 50 wins and a third seed in the 2001 NBA Playoffs, the Heat were swept in the first round by the lower-seeded Charlotte Hornets, and not even Mourning’s return in March could stop the onslaught.
The next year, Jones would again prove to be a difference maker on both ends, upping his scoring average to 18.3 points a game while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. The Heat would fail to make the playoffs, however, and Miami was then forced to deal with an uncertain future.
Jones continued to record solid numbers for the rest of his stint with the Heat, putting up double-digit points in all five seasons with the team. He also maintained the highest efficiency rate from beyond the arc for his career, shooting 38 percent from downtown across that time span.
The Heat would claim the top seed in the East, but Jones was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies following a bitter loss in the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals.
He would return to the Heat midway through the 2006-07 season, where he averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds across 35 games.
For what it’s worth, Jones spent nearly a decade in a Miami uniform and played a large role in brining the Heat to contention status.
While he’ll likely be remembered for what he did for the Los Angeles Lakers, there is no doubt that Jones was one of five best players Riley brought in during this decade.