Jones Jr. starts the season healthy while Ingram, Strus, Beal and Jordan Miller are out. His 2025-26 profile was efficient and disciplined, but 50 games is too few for a team this short on wings.
He is the healthy wing a short rotation has to lean on.
Five Clippers start the season out. Max Strus, Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are projected back November 8, and Jordan Miller is not expected until March 2. Jones, 29 and in his tenth season, is not on the injury report. Along with Rui Hachimura, he is one of the few forwards Tyronn Lue can count on from Wednesday against Sacramento onward. That turns a role player into a load-bearing piece for at least the first three weeks.
Last season's line was quiet, and it was efficient.
He averaged 10.1 points in 27.0 minutes, shot 49.9% from the field, made 35.9% of his 3.1 three-point attempts a game and hit 76.3% at the line. Those numbers came out to a 60.0% true shooting mark on 14.4% usage, with only 0.8 turnovers a night. He finished what came to him and rarely wasted a trip. His 6.8% assist rate and 6.5% rebound rate set the limits: he is not a creator and not a glass-cleaner, and he should not be asked to play like one.
The defense and the on-court ratings make the real case for him.
He averaged 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks, which is real event creation for a wing. With him on the floor, the Clippers posted a 113.8 defensive rating against a 115.2 team mark. They also posted a 117.9 offensive rating against 116.3. His 4.0 net rating was well above the team's 1.1. Individual ratings carry noise, but every number points the same way: the Clippers were better with him out there.
Availability will decide his season, and his salary leaves room for it.
Fifty appearances in an 82-game season is the weak spot in the profile. At $10.5M for 2026-27, he holds the fifth-largest contract, behind Darius Garland, Ingram, Strus and Hachimura. That is a fair price for a rotation wing on a $188.9M payroll that sits below the $200.4M tax line. Here is what he needs to be this season: a nightly presence who defends the opponent's best wing, and a shooter who pushes those 3.1 attempts higher without giving back the 35.9%. Until Ingram and Strus return, his efficiency only helps if he is on the floor every night.
Is Jones Jr. healthy for the Clippers' season opener against the Kings?
Yes. He is not on the injury report heading into Wednesday's game against Sacramento.
How much is Jones Jr. paid by the Clippers this season?
He earns $10.5M for 2026-27, the fifth-largest contract on a $188.9M payroll. That payroll sits under the $200.4M luxury tax line.
