The race for the 2021 NBA Playoffs is heating up, and as usual, the Portland Trail Blazers are in the thick of it. Last night’s loss against the Phoenix Suns was huge. The Blazers are now in danger of falling into the play-in tournament. But through all the opportunity, chaos, and drama, one player remains conspicuously absent. Derrick Jones, Jr., a starter for 43 games this season, is not in the late-season rotation for Head Coach Terry Stotts.
Though he was a large part of Portland’s off-season signing campaign last summer, Jones has not played in 9 of the last 16 games.