Miami Heat: Want to know why Derrick Jones Jr. is almost untouchable?

The Miami Heat have been mentioned a lot in trade rumors this offseason. Here’s why Derrick Jones Jr. has rarely been a serious piece in those talks.

The Miami Heat are a team that is known for a few things. The overarching principle to a lot of these renown qualities can be summed up in the team mantra.

It is a mantra that has been hated on by many, even called a “marketing ploy” by some but one that really signifies the way that the Miami Heat go about their business, it is one of the most recognizable in the business and league. This mantra is “Heat Culture.”

One of the things that fit this mantra is the fact that Miami Heat players will always be in the best shape of their lives, something else in particular that the Heat are known for. Another aspect that closely resembles or correlates with a player being in their optimal peak shape and conditioning is the fact that when a player suits up or joins the Miami Heat, whatever physical talents and abilities that player has, the Miami Heat are experts at pulling every little last teeny tiny bit of it out of them.

If you need a few examples, see “He who is not to be named” or formerly number 21 for the Miami Heat. He was a guy that bounced around the NBA, was stuck in between different professional basketball leagues, and even found himself lounging around at the local YMCA before the Miami Heat plucked him from obscurity.

Though he had been drafted earlier in his career, he didn’t find a way to stick until he got to Miami, who subsequently and regrettably ponied up nearly $100 million dollars for his services when it came time for him to be rewarded. That is one guy, but there are certainly others.

The next example is Josh Richardson. Richardson was a second-round pick out of Tennesee, a team that was headlined and led in every way by current NBA player Jordan McRae. Plain and simply put, McRae was the better player on that team and the one that looked like the most surefire thing when projecting to the next level.

Fast forward a few years down the road, Richardson has become one of the preeminent two-way players in the NBA, while McRae has struggled to find his footing at the next level. The main difference between the two of them at this juncture though is that Richardson landed with the Miami Heat.

Another player that fits that narrative and is currently on the Miami Heat’s roster is Derrick Jones Jr., or more affectionately and dare I say appropriately, Airplane Mode. Jones was a fringe player in the NBA, spending the first few seasons of his career bouncing between the Phoenix Suns and their developmental league affiliate, spending the majority of his time with the Northern Arizona Suns.

He would then sign a two-way deal with the Miami Heat in December of 2017, making his first start for the big club less than two weeks later. In July of 2018, Jones signed a regular contract with the team, making him a permanent full-time member of the Miami Heat.

Before going any further, it has to be asked. Why weren’t the Suns able to pull out the talent that we’ve seen thus far from Jones and furthermore, why wasn’t any other team beating the door down to sign such a physical specimen with freakish athletic abilities? That is a great question and while it is one worth asking, it speaks towards the Miami Heat knowing that they had the ability to harness all of that athleticism while turning him into a good player along the way, which is the main focus and not so much what others couldn’t do or see.

As far as the main question here, why Derrick Jones Jr. is “almost untouchable” for the Heat when it comes to potential trade talks and acquisitions. The above should be a great clue.

Now combine that with the fact that the Miami Heat have him through the end of this season, on a deal that only pays him just over $1.5 million dollars. Simply put, because he is an athletic savant with a more generous price tag than most players with only half of his potential.

Don’t let the above fool you though, he is more than a dunker. Standing 6’7″ with great length and a great motor, Jones Jr. is a weapon on the defensive end as well.

With the speed and quickness to keep up with the little guys on the perimeter, he has the length and well, the bunnies to more than hold his own with the big boys down low. While you want him to thicken up, get a bit stronger, and work on his ball skills like shooting and dribbling as he develops, he already has a pretty nifty set of tools to work with.

In case you are still wondering why or need another reminder, it’s because he has Mr.Chows type tools at a Panda Express price. Simple enough? That’s why he is “almost untouchable”.