Miami Heat: Derrick Jones Jr. staying in Miami mutually best for all parties

The Miami Heat are known for pulling the most out of players and they did just that with Derrick Jones Jr. That explains why he should stay, from both sides.

The Miami Heat are a franchise that prides itself on quite a few things. The disciplinary ways of their culture is one of them.

Their rich, yet relatively short, history of excellence is another. Their ability to help a player get into peak physical shape and condition is another.

While there are many more, there are none that may stack up to quite as high as this next one does. One of the Miami Heat’s superpowers is to be able to take a guy with a ton of potential and/or talent, harness that talent, and spit an extremely productive player out on the other side.

That is just what happened with Derrick Jones Jr. Unable to stick with the Phoenix Suns program and yes I will repeat, the Phoenix Suns, Jones Jr. was seen simply as an uber-athletic dunker. Upon arriving to the Miami Heat, those notions were quickly dispelled.

We noticed almost immediately how hard he played, how long he was as a player, and how his ability to move his body didn’t just apply to his vertical prowess, but side to side as well and with quick twitch ability.

You also have to note this as well, he’s one tough cookie. The Miami Heat not only turned him into a player for their own purposes but one that will be coveted by others as he receives his first taste of NBA Free Agency life in the near future. Here is what one former NBA executive, John Hollinger, had to say of Jones Jr., per a piece by Barry Jackson in the Miami Herald and with a few of Jackson’s thoughts spliced into it.

"“Up-tempo teams in need of help at either forward spot should be digging on Jones, especially since his best years should still be ahead.”A report in the Chicago Sun Times mentioned the Bulls’ affection for Jones, and a two-year offer from Chicago wouldn’t be the least bit surprising.“A 24-year-old hybrid forward coming into his prime years, this guy is much more than just a dunker,” Hollinger wrote. “Most notably, [Jones] is a freak at the top of Miami’s 2-3 with his length and mobility, but he also offers surprise rim protection (2.9 percent block rate, the league’s second-best among perimeter players) from a non-center….“Jones has shooting questions that may make his market more tepid than otherwise. He only shot 27.0 percent on 3s and is at 27.6 percent for his career. But that’s OK when you shoot 67.0 percent on 2s. Read that number again – 67 percent! From a 6-6 forward! Jones is very effective finishing plays from the dunker spot or off cuts to the rim, and he’s a whirlwind in transition.”As I’ve noted — except for Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis — no NBA forward has permitted opponents to shoot a lower percentage from the field than Jones this season."

The Miami Heat helped Derrick Jones Jr. shed the “just a dunker” label, as he rounded out his game. Here’s why it’s best for both of them to keep him around.

That’s just it from the Miami Heat’s side of things. Not only have they did the work to turn him into the player he is, not only does he help them now and immediately moving forward, but the best from the man we affectionately call Airplane Mode is yet to come.

This is why the Miami Heat should be knocking things over to keep him around. Now, moving on to his side of things.

When you look at DJJ‘s side of the story, it is a simple one. Until he arrived in Miami, no one wanted a thing to do with him.

Knowing how much better he got in Miami, it should only encourage him to stay. This should go at least for one more contract through, to see if it was him developing on his own or the Miami Heat’s developmental regimen. We know that answer, but it’s always best to figure things out or discover them on your own, as they tend to hit harder in those instances.

Plainly put, for his own development and based on where he was prior to arriving in Miami, staying would be his best move. You don’t want to run off to a struggling to rebuild scenario such as Chicago’s, just to be buried in losing and never to be heard from again. That is very likely based on Chicago’s recent track record and the status of his appreciation by the league prior to arriving in Miami.

It sounds complicated, but it isn’t. The Miami Heat need Derrick Jones Jr. to be their best selves, but he needs then to potentially become his best self as well. That is why Derrick Jones Jr. staying with the Miami Heat would be mutually best for all parties