This was a shocking departure.
Derrick Jones Jr. was one of the most pivotal players in the Dallas Mavericks making it to the NBA Finals. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that he was going to return to the Mavericks, then suddenly he joined the team's biggest rival - the LA Clippers.
During an NBA Summer League media session, Derrick Jones Jr. revealed why he left the Western Conference champion Mavericks to join a Clippers team that he defeated in the first round "I talked to the ownership, the front office, and the coaching staff," Derrick Jones Jr. said. "The route they were looking to go to was towards me and have me come in there and fill that 3/4 role, be aggressive offensively, and be who I am defensively. Go out there and try and win a championship."The Clippers saw firsthand what Derrick Jones Jr. did to Paul George in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
"It means I gotta go out there and be who I am," Derrick Jones Jr. said. "Defensively, when I was with the Mavs, I was on-ball best defender, I was guarding the best player every night. That's one thing I took pride in, I tell them every night that I want the best player." The LA Clippers may not have the offensive superstar power that they had last season, but they'll have the best defense they've had in years next season.
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