NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. MAVERICKS

June 5, 2024

Derrick Jones Jr.

Dallas Mavericks

Media Day

Q. What do you make of this matchup against the Celtics? What makes them flow so well offensively?

DERRICK JONES JR.: They space the floor really well. They move the ball whenever they have open men. They have great one-on-one players. so you have to key in on them, put bodies in front of them. Whenever they find an open man, we need to make sure we get out there and get a contest out there, try to make them put the ball on the floor and try to make another play.

Q. Maybe a little off topic. Yesterday baseball banned someone for gambling. Earlier this year, Jontay Porter got banned. Do you ever worry about that might be going on either in your room or around basketball? Do you feel the rules are clear enough?

DERRICK JONES JR.: I don't gamble. I don't care. I don't go to casinos. I don't play cards. I play video games and I chill with my kids.

Q. Teammates, other players, you don't worry about that?

DERRICK JONES JR.: No. We all know you get caught, it ain't a good thing, a punishment. There's no need to do it.

Q. This has been a big three years for you. You've been solid all your career, but this is the next level. What can you tell us about the leaders that have helped you through the process?

DERRICK JONES JR.: Just everybody that's in my camp, they've been telling me just be me. Ever since I stepped foot in Dallas, they tell me to be me, play my game, go out there and be the best defender I can be. Whenever I get shots, opportunities, I take the shots, I drive the ball, I finish the ball, make another play for a teammate.

For me, offensively it's always just to be aggressive. Defensively, it's just to do what I do.

Q. What is your assignment this series, Brown or Tatum?

DERRICK JONES JR.: Whoever they put in front of me. It don't matter. They going to probably try to get screens, and we're going to switch. It don't matter who I guard, whoever I guard, I'm going to try to stop them from scoring.

Q. What makes that duo so talented?

DERRICK JONES JR.: Like I say, they can space the floor really well, shoot the ball. They're both good with the ball in their hands. They're both good with the ball out of their hands. Try to limit them to take the shots we want them to take.

Q. You always believed you could get here. There's a lot of people that didn't expect you to get to this point. For the Celtics, they're expected to win. Is there a freedom that can come with you playing the way you have, a looseness that can come into with how you guys have approached each round?

DERRICK JONES JR.: For us, like I said, we knew we should be here. We got here for a reason because we're one of the best teams in this league. We don't think about that underdog (role). We go out there and play the game how we're supposed to play it. We know we're supposed to go out there, we have our schemes, we have our tendencies. We go out there and hold each other to the highest standard.

Whenever we don't do what we're supposed to do, we make sure that person knows what your job is.