INDIANAPOLIS — Bobby Jones doesn’t play much. When he does, coach George Karl sometimes asks himself why he doesn’t play Jones more. The Nuggets guard isn’t a fluid offensive player, but his defensive tenacity is “contagious,” Karl said.
At Indiana on Saturday, Jones had his hands on the ball defensively and offensively.
“I think there’s a desire to try to find more minutes for him,” Karl said. “Right now, with all the different combinations and circumstances, we have an attitude to try to be more aggressive, and I think he’s a person who can give me that.”
Jones played 16 minutes in Friday’s blowout win at Washington, and after the game Karl talked about Jones as if he had played 36 minutes.
“Bobby Jones is an interesting guy – I have to play him some because it seems like he makes people play hard,” Karl said. “He has an energy.”
Also, Jones entered Saturday’s game with a 71.4 (5-for-7) 3-point shooting percentage, tops on the team.
Budding Buff? Former University of Colorado center David Harrison is in his fourth season with the Pacers, and is still trying to find his niche. Fouls aren’t helping. He has had at least five fouls in four of his first six games.
“David, I think, can be an outstanding defensive player and a strong low-post player, but we all need to solve the dilemma of fouling,” Indiana coach Jim O’Brien said.
Harrison, scoreless Saturday in just 5 minutes, averages 3.8 points per game in 15.0 minutes. He leads the Pacers with 10 blocks.
Friends turned foes. O’Brien coached Iverson in Philadelphia for one season, 2004-05, and it was arguably Iverson’s best season statistically – even better than his MVP campaign of 2000-01. Under O’Brien, Iverson led the league in scoring (30.7 points per game) and free throws made (636), and he finished second in steals (2.4).
“He really led us into the playoffs,” said O’Brien, whose Sixers team lost in the first round to Detroit, the eventual conference champions. “I love having a guy who, every time the ball goes up, he gave every effort in his body.”
