Terrence Jones: Better coming off the bench?

Is there something to Terrence Jones coming off the bench for Kentucky?

All season long Doron Lamb has been the first man off the bench for the Wildcat’s and it’s seemed to work well enough for him. He gets starter minutes and he produces starter statistics in every category and is probably the best all around basketball player on the squad.

A new sixth man has been brought off the bench in the last two games though, Jones has been the first man to scorer’s table the last two games for the Wildcat’s which led Coach John Calipari to believe, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. In each game against LSU and Auburn, Jones came off the bench in spectacular fashion and even broke the freshman scoring record with 35 earlier in the season and then scoring 17 against LSU. In an interview with the Kentucky Kernel Jones said that:

“Since I played so well (UK head coach John Calipari) said ‘I might as well keep it like that,’”

The big man from Oregon isn’t worried about all the glitz and glamour that comes with being a starter, which at Rupp Arena means having your name screamed out with fireworks for the masses to cheer and chant, instead Jones is more worried about being in during the last five minutes of the game.

“It’s only the first five minutes,” Jones said. “I was always taught it was the last five minutes that matter most. It’s who the coach trusts most that he puts in the last five minutes with the game on the line.”

The numbers may be a little skewed because of who the Wildcat’s were playing but looking at the numbers of the last two games, sure Terrence Jones played well. He scored 35 against Auburn with eight rebounds. Then a 17 point outing against LSU where he shot three for twelve from the field and grabbed seven boards. The biggest stat to me was he only had four fouls combined in the two games.

The biggest problem for Kentucky by far this season has been their depth. When the Cat’s have gotten in foul trouble they have lost. In Kentucky’s biggest games this season minus Notre Dame and Louisville, Jones has gotten three or more fouls in each of these games, including four against Washington, four against UConn and five against North Carolina.

The thing about coming off the bench is you are already in the flow of the game when you check into the game. There is no emotional high for a player, there is no getting warmed up you have already witnessed the pace, and honestly that can only help Jones who has had trouble against athletic opponents by staying in foul trouble. He can’t help the team on the bench.

In SEC play it is going to be VERY important for Jones to be in the game at all times, and with the big man coming off the bench it could very well help him get into the flow of the game before going out and picking up a couple of early fouls. You allow the offense to get flowing, and the defense to establish itself before inserting a player like Jones into the game, it could be the answer Kentucky has been looking for all season.

Tonight against Alabama we will see if Jones continues to be the best sixth man in the country or is inserted back into the starting line up.

And if you’re bored and wanting a little pre-game read, here is the whole article from the KYKernel: http://kykernel.com/2011/01/15/column-jones-a-super-sub-freshman-has-second-straight-big-game-off-bench/

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