Minnesota Timberwolves: Tyus Jones’ Future In The NBA
Tyus Jones is an intriguing player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After being drafted in the first round of the 2015 NBA draft he has been used sparingly in his short career.
Tyus Jones, an Apple Valley High School product, was selected with the 24th overall draft pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He won the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year award three times in high school and was the fourth ranked prospect in the 2014 class by ESPN.
Jones then chose to play his college basketball at Duke. While at Duke he averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 assists per game. Jones set a Duke freshman record averaging a 2.86:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tyus Jones took his play to the next level in the NCAA tournament and won the Final Four’s Most Outstanding player award. He also won a national championship in his only season in college.
After Jones’ excellent play in the NCAA tournament he had no choice but to declare for the NBA draft as his stock was as high as it would ever get. The Cleveland Cavaliers would end up selecting Jones in the first round. Cleveland immediately traded him to the Timberwolves in exchange for three second round picks.
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In Tyus’ first year with the Timberwolves he would play sparingly, as he only appeared in 37 games. His play was nothing special as overall he struggled in most aspects of the game.
This season Tyus has continued to play very limited minutes while also picking up a multitude of DNP-CDs (Did Not Play-Coach’s Decision). Although, Jones has started to see more minutes lately, playing at least 10 minutes in eight of the team’s 11 games so far in February.
This season Jones has seen his number rise slightly. His Player Efficiency Rating sits at 14.0, just below league average of 15. His turnover ratio (9.3) is down and his true shooting percentage (54.3) and assist ratio (37.9) are both up.
Tyus Jones future in the NBA is still a mystery. Physically, he lacks many of the tools necessary to be successful at the NBA level. He is listed at 6′ 2″ and 195 pounds, but both of those may be exaggerations. When you compare him to other NBA players on the court he is often the smallest guy out there. This slight frame has led him to struggle on both ends of the floor.
On defense, due to his lack of size, Tyus can only guard the 1. Other teams constantly take advantage of his size, often using the 1-2 screen action to match him onto a shooting guard. The Toronto Raptors used this play multiple times down the stretch in the Feb. 8 game. While it produced mixed results for the Raptors, it eventually forced Wiggins to fight through the screens instead of switching onto Jones’ man. This is troublesome in an NBA that is seeing more and more teams put emphasis on position-less players.
Tyus Jones’ lack of strength causes him to struggle with on-ball screens. Jones often gets caught up in screens and is unable to fight through them in a timely manner. This has forced the Timberwolves bigs to be stuck in no man’s land. They are put in the inevitable position of having to guard the ball handler for an extended period of time while Jones is delayed in recovering.
Most point guards are able to take advantage of their superiority in the strength category as well. Jones often falls victim to bully ball. Not only can his opponents easily back him down into the paint, but they are able to shoot over him once they are down there as well.
On the following play, Tyus Jones is matched up with New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday. Holiday probably falls in the above-average category for strength among point guards. However, on this play, he is made to look like Hercules. Holiday backs Jones down from about 20 feet out and is able to get within five feet of the basket. Jones provides no resistance at all and Holiday then shoots over him for an easy bucket.
Tyus Jones also lacks superior athletic ability to make up for his lack of size and strength. He has average jumping ability and quickness. By my own analysis I would even say that he has below-average lateral quickness. He struggles to stay in front of the average point guard in the NBA and is an awful defender in fast break situations.
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Although Tyus is a below-average on-ball defender he is able to use his high basketball IQ to generate steals. Tyus has a very high steals rate of 31.6 percent. That ranks him 12th overall in the NBA among guards who have played at least 30 games this season. Tyus also has deceptively quick hands and very good timing and understanding of when to go for a steal. He does all of this while not taking himself out of defensive position.
Tyus Jones’ below-average athletic ability also translates to his rebounding numbers. Tyus only grabs 4.9 percent of available rebounds while he is on the floor. That puts him 120th out of 149 guards who have played at least 30 games this season.
To be fair, the coaching staff is not asking him to rebound the ball. His role once a shot goes up is to stand at the elbow area or higher. He serves two purposes by doing that. First, he is available to grab any rebounds that the Timberwolves are unable to secure or that may be tipped out. Secondly, he is in a good position to secure an outlet pass and start the fast break once the Timberwolves do grab the rebound.
On the following play, from Friday night’s victory over the Mavericks, Tyus Jones ends up with the rebound. He immediately pushes the ball up the floor and starts the fast break. Tyus then uses his good passing ability and vision (which I will momentarily get into) to set up his teammate for a score. In this instance, the play ends with a Shabazz Muhammad slam.
Now let’s look at Tyus Jones on the offensive side of the ball. As I mentioned earlier, Tyus has a very high basketball I.Q. That is never more evident than when he is quickly moving the ball around on offense. Tyus understands his role and realizes that he is not being asked to score. This leads to Tyus whipping the ball around the perimeter and keeping the defense moving. By keeping the defense moving it creates a higher probability that a player will get open on a subsequent pass.
Tyus Jones also has good vision when he is driving the lane. He loves to do the semi-no look passes to find open teammates. When he is able to get into the lane, which isn’t very often, he displays the signs of a true point guard. By that I mean he is always looking to set up his teammates instead of setting up himself.
Tyus Jones has an assist percentage of 26.9 percent this season. That ranks 32nd among NBA guards who have played 30 or more games. His assist-to-turnover ratio is absolutely incredible. It sits at 4.10, which is second in the NBA among all players with, you guessed it, 30 or more games under their belt this season.
When it comes to shooting, it is something that Tyus has already begun to improve. At this point in his career Tyus is mostly a catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. As he is unable to create his own shot, this means that Tyus must rely on his teammates to set him up.
Tyus is shooting 39 percent from behind the arc this season, which is up from 30% last year. This is important because nearly half of the shots he takes are from downtown. For the most part, Tyus is a patient player who will take good shots. However, from time to time he will hunt for his own shot on a questionable look.
As the youngest player on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster, Tyus Jones still has a lot of room to grow. At 20 years old he is a whole two years younger than this year’s first round pick, Kris Dunn.
Once Jones continues to put on muscle it will help his game immensely. His work in the gym is also evident as he has already made improvements with his shot.
A most likely scenario that I see for Tyus Jones is that he will continue to develop into a situational role player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Due to his limitations Jones will always be best served as a player to come off the bench.
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There will be games and matchups that dictate Tyus Jones to a DNP-CD and other games where he will be able to play frequently. At the end of the day, Jones’s work ethic and basketball I.Q. is what will keep him on an NBA roster.