Jones earning some meaningful minutes

Athletic forward producing when it counts for Heat

MEMPHIS — The Miami Heat’s current six-game road trip could one day be looked back upon as a takeoff point in the career of the man nicknamed Airplane Mode.

Derrick Jones Jr., who holds that moniker for his high-flying leaping ability, is playing the most meaningful minutes of his career.

Jones played the entire fourth quarter on Friday night in the Heat’s 100-97 win over the Grizzlies in Memphis. He also did so when the Heat pulled away from the Los Angeles Clippers, winning the final period 30-8, and nearly did against the Lakers, getting subbed out with 22 seconds left in a contested game.

He wasn’t just on the floor to round out a lineup for a team shorthanded by injuries. The 6-foot-7 forward factored largely into the outcome on Friday.

Jones had nine of his 13 points in the fourth. He grabbed five of his eight rebounds and recorded two of his three blocks in the final period.

“It means a lot just to know that our coaching staff and the rest of our team got a whole lot of faith in me,” said Jones, who’s probably most known around the league as the 2017 Slam Dunk Contest runner-up when he was with the Phoenix Suns.

It’s faith that Jones has earned, says Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, based on his demeanor both in games and in his preparation.

“It’s the definition of earning the coaches’ and your teammates’ trust. That’s what he’s doing right now,” Spoelstra said. “He keeps on working at it, getting better, making the most of his minutes and he’s earning more. That’s what you want from young guys.”

Jones’ athleticism and length, with a 7-foot wingspan, cause havoc for opponents. He took on the challenge of guarding Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley in the fourth and also was able to help at the rim. With Spoelstra having incorporated a modified 2-3 zone defense at times, Jones is able to cover ground out of that look.

“I always harp on my defense, and I always want to be that lockdown defender that our team needs,” Jones said.

It was more than just his physical traits that aided the Heat in getting key defensive stops late in a physical, grinder of a game in Memphis — stops Spoelstra called “inspiring plays.” Jones brought energy and intensity on them.

“I’ve been like that all my life, really,” Jones said. “I just want to be the person on the court with the most energy, and go out there and do what I can.”

Jones’ one 3-pointer early in the fourth marked the start of an 11-0 Heat run where Miami took the lead and never surrendered it. Later in the run, he slammed down one of his signature dunks to keep momentum going.

“The offense is going to come, really,” Jones said. “I get open shots, I’m going to take them. I get open dunks, I’m not going to pass up on those.”

Although Jones fouled Conley on a 3-pointer to end the third quarter and give Memphis a lead after Conley sank all three free throws, Jones led the Heat in plus/ minus on Friday night at plus-14.

“He just plays hard. It doesn’t really matter what type of play it is,” said guard Tyler Johnson, who scored 17 points in the victory. “It’s exciting. He can go up and grab a rebound over five, six people, block shots, score around the bucket. He’s added the three ball where at least you have to be honest.

“It’s great to see because he puts in a lot of work.”

Before Miami’s trek through much of the Western Conference, Jones hadn’t logged playing time in the Heat’s previous three games. Playing just 5:38 on Nov. 27 at home against the Atlanta Hawks, he didn’t get into four of the six games before that either. In the last four games, he’s averaging about 26 minutes per contest.

Last July, Jones signed a standard NBA contract with Miami after previously being on a two-way deal, platooning between the Heat and G League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce. While with the Suns, Jones, who went undrafted out of UNLV in 2016, was similarly up and down between leagues.

dfurones@sunsentinel.com / On Twitter @DavidFurones_