I'm not arguing for one over the other but why do I keep seeing people saying PJ3 played behind Durant? Yes, he did, but let's not pretend that is the only reason why he wasn't getting minutes, he has the ability to play every position not named PG! SF may be considered his natural position but if he was good enough, he should have found minutes at multiple positions. He could be a late bloomer, but Durant wasn't the reason he didn't play.
PJ is not a rebounder, a shotblocker, or a traditional inside scorer. He's never going to get significant minutes at the center spot. He also doesn't have the ball handling, passing or shooting ability to play the SG spot.
Realistically the only positions PJ can play on the offensive end of the floor are SF and PF, and those positions were taken up by a former MVP (Durant) and a borderline all-star (Ibaka). As a rookie coming in to the league, you're just not going to get much opportunity in that type of situation.
Also if Jones ever becomes something special in this league, it's going to be either as a scorer or as a versatile defender (or both).
His advanced defensive stats last year were pretty bad (-2.07 DRPM) ranking him about on par with Carmelo Anthony and Tobias Harris. But in 2013/14 his defensive numbers were actually decent (-0.55 DRPM) which ranked him:
* Above Joe Johnson
* On par with Harrison Barnes and Jeff Green
* Only a few ranks below Kevin Durant, Tayshaun Prince and Lebron James
By no means does this suggest that he's a great (or even good) defensive player, but it shows he can more or less hold his own. Given his age and physical gifts, I feel the potential is there for him to be an plus defender under the right tutelage, and his versatility on that end (ability to defend 2-5 at a squeeze) is an added bonus.
Offensively he was never going get many opportunities as a perimeter player stuck behind Westbrook and Durant.
I mean honestly, even James Harden looked like a 6th man (or a #3 scoring option, at best) when he was playing in OKC. With Durant and Westbrook getting all the touches, Harden only averaged 15.6 / 16.4 / 19.3 points
per 36 minutes in his three seasons in OKC. Those numbers aren't far from what Sully, Green and Bradley put up in Boston.
Then the instant Harden was traded to Houston his Per-36 numbers jumped by around 7 points to 24 / 24 / 27 Points Per 36 in his first three seasons there. This trade happened mid-season and Harden's scoring increase was instant, so this suggests the jump in scoring was purely a result of the change in role (#1 scoring option) and touches, not a result of Harden actually improving as a player. Just goes to show how much he was being held back by playing behind Westbrook/Durant in OKC.
Obviously I'm not suggesting that PJ is going to explode like Harden and become a superstar just because he has left OKC. At the same time I think that if a guy like Harden (NBA ready skills, proven scorer, plays SG - a position of need) could be held back as much as he was, then it's safe to assume that a guy like PJ3 (very raw, unproven, and playing the same position as KD) is going to be held back even more.
If Jones's scoring were to jump by 7 Points Per-36 (the way Harden's did when he left OKC) then suddenly you have a 23 year old, 6'11", 230 lbs freak athlete who's averaging 17 Points Per 36 - and you have the attention of every team in the league.
Now by all means you can ask the questions:
1) Would PJ have gotten any more minutes if he DIDN'T play behind those guys, or would his minutes have been limited anyway simply because of coach lacking confidence in his game?
2) If he did get the extra minutes/experience, would he actually be any better a player than he is now as a result?
The answer to both of those question is - we don't know. That's where the risk/gamble comes in to it.
There's every chance that the kid is a complete bozo and a total bust. But everybody knows how hard it is to acquire an All-Star calibre player in today's league. If Perry Jones has even the slightest hint of potential (even if it's just a 5% chance) to develop into an All-Star under the right tutelage, and he's on a $2m expiring contact, then that's a gamble I'm willing to take.
Worst case scenario is it doesn't work out, he ends up a bust, we let him walk after the season and we get our $2m cap space back.
Nothing to lose really.
Either way, OKC couldn't keep him. They have Durant at SF, Ibaka at PF - there's no way he's replacing either of those guys. Also he expires after this season, so even if he DID have a break out year, they won't be able to afford to keep him (remember, their desire to not go into luxury tax is the reason why they traded Harden in the first place). So the only option that really makes sense for OKC is to trade him away to another team where he can get more opportunity to develop, and basically clear off some cap space in the process.