Dave Leonardis
ByDave LeonardisPosted on July 2, 2016 2SHARES SHARE TWEET SHARE EMAIL
Two years ago, power forward Terrence Jones looked like a potential fixture in the Houston Rockets’ starting rotation. That season, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 76 games (71 starts). He also shot a career-best 54.2 percent from the field on 9.4 attempts per contest.
Now, he’s an unrestricted free agent who isn’t expected to return to Space City. The Rockets, who have roughly $46 million to spend this summer, decided to cut the former first-round pick loose. Instead, the team made a qualifying offer to fellow big man Donatas Motiejunas, per Houston Chronicle‘s Jonathan Feigen.
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Jonathan Feigen ✔ @Jonathan_Feigen
Rockets have tendered a qualifying offer to Donatas Motiejunas, person with knowledge of the move said. Not offering one to Terrence Jones.
9:45 AM - 30 Jun 2016
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The club opting to let Jones walk shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. He struggled to stay healthy since his breakout sophomore season, appearing in just 100 games (including postseason) combined in the last two years. Houston’s depth up front also caused the Kentucky standout to fall out of the rotation in 2015-16. He played just five total minutes in the final month of the regular season and didn’t make an appearance during the playoffs.
However, the decision to keep Motiejunas over Jones is a bit perplexing.
Has the big Lithuanian been more productive than Jones during their tenure together?
No. D-Mo has yet to put together a better statistical season than Jones’ 2013-14 campaign. So far, his 12 points and 5.9 rebounds in 71 games in 2014-15 is his best work to date. That same season, Jones put up 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks despite injuries limiting him to just 33 games.
Is Motiejunas a better rebounder?
Nope. Even as his total rebounding percentage dipped in each of the last three seasons, Jones cleaned up the boards at a higher rate than Motiejunas every year. Motiejunas grabbed more than 3.6 rebounds in a single season just once in the last four years. Jones averaged 5.8 rebounds for his entire four-year tenure in Houston.
