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Bryce Dejean-Jones is going to remain in New Orleans for at least the next 10 days. Per Scott Kushner of The Advocate, the Pelicans will ink him to another short-term contract on Monday.
SOURCES: Bryce DeJean-Jones to sign second 10-day contract with #Pelicans tomorrow, keeping him on the team for next six games.
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) January 31, 2016
Before anyone raises the question about a long-term deal, relax, Dell Demps is trying to accomplish that task.
The two sides are working toward a long-term deal to keep DeJean-Jones in New Orleans, but if it’s not struck before the All-Star break, he will be off of the roster when the Pelicans travel to Oklahoma City on Feb. 11.
Due to the injuries to Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon, Dejean-Jones has started the last two games for the Pelicans and performed well enough to earn big minutes. In both post-game conferences, Alvin Gentry has mentioned his contributions have been timely and good. Even Ryan Anderson referred to him as special player following Saturday night's win against the Brooklyn Nets because BDJ has calmly stepped right into the rotation and produced, a rarity for inexperienced NBA players.
In a small sample size, Dejean-Jones is averaging 11.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 threes and 1.4 steals per 36 minutes. Considering their other healthy options, the available group of Pelicans have welcomed his floor spacing ability (45.5 FG% from three-point range). His athletic ability has been evident on a block of Omri Casspi and several impressive dunks. He has seemingly managed to bring the right amount of aggressiveness in every performance without overstepping his boundaries -- an easy thing to do considering he knows he must produce in order to remain on the Pelicans' roster.
A side product of Dejean-Jones play has been that Tyreke Evans has been afforded an opportunity to rest his right ailing knee. The typical starting point guard for the Pelicans has been plagued by knee issues all season, and the only prescription for his tendinitis is rest. With Dejean-Jones slated to be available for at least the next six games (one game shy of making it to the All-Star break), it will be interesting to watch how the organization handles Evans.