Senior forward Lajae Jones has been a key contributor for the Florida State Seminoles as they prepare to face No. 24 Clemson on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. Jones has scored in double figures in five consecutive games, averaging 15.4 points since his 18-point performance against Stanford. Over the season, he is posting a career-high average of 11.8 points per game and is close to surpassing personal bests in several offensive categories.
Despite his recent offensive success, Jones emphasized the importance of defense ahead of the matchup with Clemson. “Defense is the key,” said Jones. “The coaching staff has asked me to rely on my defense to create my offense and that has worked well for me since we began playing our ACC schedule. I feel like our defense is creating some really good offense and the results are showing with wins.”
Florida State has won six of its last eight ACC games, holding opponents to more than ten points fewer on average compared to their first 18 games this season. In five of those eight games, opponents were held under 72 points, while Florida State scored at least 80 points in five contests.
Jones is also averaging a career-high six rebounds per game and nearly one blocked shot per game this season. He has recorded three double-figure rebounding performances during ACC play, including a career-best 13 rebounds against Virginia.
Head coach Luke Loucks highlighted Jones’s defensive contributions following a recent win over Virginia Tech: “Everyone is going to talk about our offense (against Virginia Tech) when we scored 53 points and shot 78 percent from the field in the second half,” said Loucks. “But I was more pleased on the defensive end. Our offense benefitted from our defense. When you sit down and guard, get stops, make it really difficult on the opponent to score the ball, and you rebound, that can be very deflating for an opponent.”
Jones made two notable defensive plays earlier this season that helped secure wins for Florida State: a chase-down block against Cal’s Semetri Carr and an offensive rebound followed by free throws in the closing seconds of that same game.
“Both were big plays for our team because both ultimately helped us win the game which is the most important thing,” said Jones. “I thought the offensive rebound was the bigger play because it helped us close out the game.”
In Florida State’s recent victory over Boston College, Jones collected nine rebounds—including four offensive boards—and scored a crucial basket late in the contest.
“Any offensive rebound that changes the tide of the game is important,” said Jones. “That one was important because it gave us a lead, and we were able to win the game.”
Coach Loucks expressed satisfaction with Jones’s development since conference play began: “I am really pleased with Lajae’s shift,” said Loucks. “It’s more mental and more emotional for Lajae because he has always had the combination of size and skill that is very tough for opponents to match up with.”
Loucks added: “Earlier in the season he was so focused on making shots that the rest of his game was non-existent. All he focuses on now is the rest of his game including defending, rotating, and flying down the court in transition on both sides of the ball. If he goes 0-3 or if he goes six of seven (from the field), he still has a huge impact on winning and that’s what he’s figured out.”
