Heat’s Jones Has Arrived

MIAMI —  Damon Jones proclaims himself the NBA’s most stylish fashionista, the league’s funniest player and the best looking member of the Miami Heat.

He’s the loudest guy in the locker room, no small feat since his stall is only four away from Shaquille O’Neal’s dressing area. Rarely is he ever not grinning, spewing a one-liner or boasting about something.

Yet the Heat’s starting point guard hardly ever brags about his game. His numbers do the talking there.

Entering last weekend, he was averaging 11.8 points and was ranked third leaguewide in assist-to-turnover ratio, but where Jones truly makes his mark is from 3-point range.

Jones already has made a franchise-record 208 3-pointers this season, connecting at a 43.7 percent clip -- the fourth-best percentage in the league. And that number looks even better when considering that all the other league leaders in that category have taken at least 150 fewer attempts than Jones.

“This game is a very humbling game, where you can brag and boast and be on top of the world one day and the bottom can fall out the next,” Jones said. “I started at the bottom and am still trying to work my way up. I have nothing to say about my game. I’m going to show you my game, and try that way to get respect.”

And really, respect is all he’s ever sought.

Jones left Houston after his junior season and declared for the 1997 NBA draft, even though his college coach and pro scouting gurus all told him he was making a mistake.

For years, it seemed they were right.

He bounced around the minor leagues, playing in the Continental Basketball Association (getting called to the NBA three times in the 1998-99 season, tying a CBA record), the United States Basketball League and the International Basketball Association. Homes were places such as Rapid City, Sarasota and Boise.

And even when the NBA came calling, it wasn’t for long; since making his debut in February 1999, Jones has worn the uniforms of nine different clubs, never lasting more than one season with any franchise.

When the Heat acquired Shaquille O’Neal last summer, they immediately began searching for a point guard who could shoot, wasn’t turnover-prone, would complement Dwyane Wade in the backcourt and wouldn’t look first for his own shot. They targeted Jones, who has exceeded Miami’s expectations.

“We didn’t need a point guard to really come in and create a lot,” Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We needed a guy to run the offense, shoot the ball and not make mistakes, because Dwyane and Shaq were going to be the guys creating shots for us. Damon really fit the profile we were looking for.”