Herb Jones Replaces a Healthy Dejounte Murray in Thursday's Starting Lineup

Herb Jones is officially taking over the starting spot from Dejounte Murray this Thursday.

Underdog NBA relayed the lineup alert straight from coach Mosley, signaling a massive shift in the rotation before the ball even tips.

"Lineup alert: Herb Jones will start in place of Dejounte Murray on Thursday, per coach Mosley."

There are standard lineup tweaks, and then there are deliberate tactical demotions. The most interesting part here is that Murray is currently listed as completely healthy and active for the New Orleans Pelicans. This is not an injury replacement; this is a choice.

Swapping a former All-Star point guard for Jones is the kind of move you make when you are tired of watching opposing wings get comfortable. Jones is a defensive menace who turns the perimeter into a torture chamber, and putting him in the starting five means the intensity is getting cranked up immediately.

But for anyone holding Murray player props or relying on his fantasy production, this is a disaster. Moving to the second unit completely scrambles his expected usage rate and minute distribution.

You do not just bench a guy with Murray's pedigree unless you are trying to send a message or fix a glaring hole in the starting five.

We will see how this experiment looks when the game gets underway on Thursday. If the starting unit suddenly looks elite defensively, Murray might have to get used to life as a very expensive sixth man.