Eddie Jones

Jones is a player in the dying days of his career, especially from a fantasy perspective. He was outright released by Memphis last season and picked up by Miami, for whom he averaged an underwhelming 5.6 points in 19.3 minutes. The Mavericks signed him this offseason for his veteran leadership and with the intention of playing him no more than 15-20 minutes per game.

Jones will be 35 years old by the time this season begins, and the high-flying athleticism that used to be his calling card is a thing of the past. Jones’ scoring average continued its four-year decline down to a career-low 11.8 ppg on a career-low 40% FG shooting, and he also posted his lowest rebound and assist numbers since his rookie season in 1995. On the positive side, as a defensive role-playing vet for the Grizzlies, Jones re-discovered the thieving ways he had lost at the turn of the century (1.7 spg) while continuing to knock down 1.8 treys per game. That rare combo of almost two steals and almost two threes makes Jones valuable, despite his decline in other areas.

Jones is on the downside of his career, having averaged a career low 12.7 points last season as the third option behind Shaq and Dwyane Wade on the Heat. With his 34th birthday rapidly approaching, Jones will never again be the athletic slasher that once averaged 20.1 points and 2.7 steals per game for a season. On the other hand, he has settled in as a solid role player in both real life and fantasy. He is still a good source of 3-pointers (1.8 per game) while giving modest contributions in points, rebounds (5.1 per game), and steals (1.1 per game). He will be adjusting to a new role this season with the Grizzlies, where he will likely be in a three-man swing rotation with Mike Miller and Shane Battier. Because there are no dominant scorers on the Grizz, Jones may actually bring his scoring average up slightly. Other than that, expect him to roughly match last season’s numbers.

No one should be happier than Jones about the arrival of Shaquille O’ Neal to South Beach. With O’Neal directing all the attention to the paint, Jones should have a field day shooting threes and should also see an increase in points scored per game. Moreover, he'll remain a great option for thefts, as his long arms and quick instincts should deflect many telegraphed passes. Although he’ll turn 33 in October, Jones still has enough all-around game to merit an eighth or ninth round pick. Barring injury, there's not a lot of downside here.

The centerpiece of this team for the last few years, Jones will have to adjust to a new team tempo and game plan that will not feature him as the #1 option. He is still an excellent player who has the ability to make any team better. What he does not have is the ability to take over games, a misconception Riley was under during the early stages of Jones’s time in Miami. If he is able to stay healthy, he will still play a significant role in this offense and put up 12-15 pts per game with a handful of rebounds, assists and steals.