Sam Jones... how come no one talks about this guy?

[oarabbus]

Obviously many people know who he is, but he's never mentioned amongst the greats. He was on Russell's crazy stacked Celtics, but the guy has 10 rings. Ten. Second all time. I don't care if his team was stacked, no one else in the history of basketball has 10 rings. 5x allstar too.



Career stats of 18/5/2.5... in 27 minutes. For context, Ginobili is a career 15/4/4 guy in 27 minutes, and equal career stats as James Worthy... in 5 less minutes.

His best season was 26/5/3 and steals and blocks were unrecorded back then. He's definitely in the tier of guys like Worthy, McHale, Havlicek but you cant find footage of the guy and no one gives him up.

Again his team was stacked and the NBA was small, but you'd think a guy who put up 26ppg and can wear a ring on each finger would be talked about more. 10 rings is no joke.

[Akrazotile]

Because nobody saw the team play and when that happens people just simplify the analysis and give all the credit to one guy. Thus, Russell gets all the credit.


Hell, most idiots on ESPN and these boards give all the credit to one guy even when they just watched the game with their own two eyes the day before. People are just dumb.

[PHILA]

Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership From the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner - Bill Russell

[TheReal Kendall]

Great read.

Dude was a beast for me on 2k14 Myteam.

[oarabbus]

Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership From the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner - Bill Russell

The OG Worthy-Ginobili hybrid type player

[WillC]

The OG Worthy-Ginobili hybrid type player

James Worthy is a terrible comparison for Sam Jones.

Jones' game revolved around his exceptional bank shot. He was lethal from mid-range. He was a constant threat due to his ability to use screens and make cuts. Think of Ray Allen but less of a long-range bomber (since the three-point shot didn't exist back then, it made more sense to shoot from mid-range).

To answer the original question, the reason nobody talks about Sam Jones is because:

1) He (and the rest of the Celtics) played in Russell's shadow, which is a crying shame because they were a phenomenal team so it is ironic that one man stands out above the rest.

2) Jones' minutes were limited and, therefore, his numbers aren't as eye-popping as, say, Jerry West or Oscar Robertson. John Havlicek once said "he was a great shooter, a great defensive player and he had great speed. There wasn't anything Sam Jones couldn't do. If he had played with a team other than the Celtics, he'd be held in the same esteem as Jerry West or Oscar Robertson"

3) There is relatively little footage of Jones. Again, it's easier to find footage of West and Robertson.

That said, Sam Jones is definitely up there with the all-time great shooting guards. Jordan, Kobe and West are the obvious top 3. Wade is alone at #4. You can then take your pick from the likes of Sam Jones, George Gervin, Allen Iverson and Clyde Drexler. So Jones is a top 8 shooting guard, in my opinion. After that, you have guys like Bill Sharman, Dennis Johnson, Hal Greer, Reggie Miller, etc.

[senelcoolidge]

Great player. I've told the story before, but my father met Sam Jones back in the late 60's..during the time when the Celtics were having their dynasty run. My father was impressed. Jones was holding a clinic at the University. My father got to play him a little and watch him. Jones could not miss a shot. Good guy too.

[La Frescobaldi]

me talking about 24 in one of my very first posts:

Russell talking about 24.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY4EhnRgBWU

6 season ending shots, make it or the season was over!! As far as I know - I have no stats at all to back it up - but I believe Sam Jones is the most clutch shooter in NBA history.

Sam is the most underrated player BY FAR ever in the NBA. This guy was not a Robert Horry/ Derrick Fisher type pressure shooter with some solid skills on the court.

If I was to roll out the all-time guards, Sam Jones would be right up there in the top 5.

Everybody annoints Russell as the guy on those Celtics teams and no question it was his team. But that Celtics offense ran through Sam Jones from the time he stepped up after Cousy & Sharman left until right down to the very end of his career in 68-69 when Havlicek took over.

Oscar & Jerry West get the accolades as the premier guards of that era. But Sam was right there.

It's hard to describe exactly the total and complete difference between the game back then and what it has changed into over the years, but here's a example I can remember from about 66 or 67. The Celtics ran a non-stop fast break for 7 minutes straight against the Knicks. If the Knicks scored the Celtics did not stop running even during the inbounds pass. That game was pure transition basketball in the second quarter for 7 minutes without a timeout. I'll never forget Sam Jones racing on the court lathered like the sleekest quarterhorse you ever saw. Just completely dominated the Knicks with marathon endurance.

Sheer windsprint fleet ball winging from hand to hand not touching the court not a single dribble from Russell's hand to Sam's non-stop fullspeed layup

It was the most incredible performance of athletic endurance by any team I ever saw and every bit of it led by Sam Jones.

when a timeout finally was called it was like you woke up from a trance. The crowd was in a absolute frenzy of excitement

That was pure sport

[DatAsh]

Adding to what PHILA said

[smoovegittar]

It's players like Sam Jones who allow Celtic fans to hold their heads high. They've had so many good players over their history. But just the fact that there is so little footage around of these players would be a main reason they aren't spoken of.

[russwest0]

Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership From the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner - Bill Russell

dude idk this guy might be the fukking GOAT man

[SouBeachTalents]

1) He (and the rest of the Celtics) played in Russell's shadow, which is a crying shame because they were a phenomenal team so it is ironic that one man stands out above the rest.

When one player wins 5 MVP's, and had they handed out the awards back then, won something like 10 DPOY and a majority of the teams Finals MVP's, plus is almost unanimously regarded as a top 5 GOAT, you really don't see why that player would stand out among the rest of his teammates? Jordan, Bird, and Duncan also had great teammates, yet they also stand out among their teammates as well. That's what happens when you're SIGNIFICANTLY better/more accomplished than your teammates, not that surprising really

[WillC]

When one player wins 5 MVP's, and had they handed out the awards back then, won something like 10 DPOY and a majority of the teams Finals MVP's, plus is almost unanimously regarded as a top 5 GOAT, you really don't see why that player would stand out among the rest of his teammates? Jordan, Bird, and Duncan also had great teammates, yet they also stand out among their teammates as well. That's what happens when you're SIGNIFICANTLY better/more accomplished than your teammates, not that surprising really

Of course I see why he stands out

If you didn't understand my post, then your loss. It was quite clear.

[oarabbus]

James Worthy is a terrible comparison for Sam Jones.

Jones' game revolved around his exceptional bank shot. He was lethal from mid-range. He was a constant threat due to his ability to use screens and make cuts. Think of Ray Allen but less of a long-range bomber (since the three-point shot didn't exist back then, it made more sense to shoot from mid-range).

To answer the original question, the reason nobody talks about Sam Jones is because:

1) He (and the rest of the Celtics) played in Russell's shadow, which is a crying shame because they were a phenomenal team so it is ironic that one man stands out above the rest.

2) Jones' minutes were limited and, therefore, his numbers aren't as eye-popping as, say, Jerry West or Oscar Robertson. John Havlicek once said "he was a great shooter, a great defensive player and he had great speed. There wasn't anything Sam Jones couldn't do. If he had played with a team other than the Celtics, he'd be held in the same esteem as Jerry West or Oscar Robertson"

3) There is relatively little footage of Jones. Again, it's easier to find footage of West and Robertson.

That said, Sam Jones is definitely up there with the all-time great shooting guards. Jordan, Kobe and West are the obvious top 3. Wade is alone at #4. You can then take your pick from the likes of Sam Jones, George Gervin, Allen Iverson and Clyde Drexler. So Jones is a top 8 shooting guard, in my opinion. After that, you have guys like Bill Sharman, Dennis Johnson, Hal Greer, Reggie Miller, etc.

I didn't mean playstyle, more the "can be the best guy on the court any given night" and "does major damage in minor minutes" traits that I see in Ginobili in Worthy appear to have originally been present in this guy

When one player wins 5 MVP's, and had they handed out the awards back then, won something like 10 DPOY and a majority of the teams Finals MVP's, plus is almost unanimously regarded as a top 5 GOAT, you really don't see why that player would stand out among the rest of his teammates? Jordan, Bird, and Duncan also had great teammates, yet they also stand out among their teammates as well. That's what happens when you're SIGNIFICANTLY better/more accomplished than your teammates, not that surprising really

10 rings man, 10 rings. You can't say shit to ten. And a 26ppg guy at his peak.

[DatAsh]

When one player wins 5 MVP's, and had they handed out the awards back then, won something like 10 DPOY and a majority of the teams Finals MVP's, plus is almost unanimously regarded as a top 5 GOAT, you really don't see why that player would stand out among the rest of his teammates? Jordan, Bird, and Duncan also had great teammates, yet they also stand out among their teammates as well. That's what happens when you're SIGNIFICANTLY better/more accomplished than your teammates, not that surprising really

Russell himself said that without Jones he'd have won "maybe" 3 rings