While Ja Morant is a budding superstar for the Memphis Grizzlies, the team has compiled some impressive depth across several positions. Whenever Morant needs some time to rest or misses games due to injury, reserve guard Tyus Jones is one of the main options for the team. He is viewed as a reliable ball-handler who can set up an offense at the point guard position.
The Grizzlies are in the middle of the hunt in a competitive Western Conference playoff race, and Jones deserves credit for their position in the standings. He is playing just over 21 minutes per game and is an important part of the rotation. We’ll take a look at Jones’ past growing up, and how his basketball journey led him to Memphis.
Tyus Jones – Early Life
While many members of his family grew up in the Devils Lake area of North Dakota, Jones spent his formative years living in Apple Valley, Minnesota. He has credited his family for his success in life, keyed by his mother Deb, and his younger brother Tre. The two Minnesota boys ended up having an impressive basketball ascension as they would grow up, but Tyus was the more impressive of the two prospects.
Tyus Jones – High School
Tyus Jones was one of the most impressive basketball prospects in Minnesota state history. As a result, he had the chance to do something that very few players ever get to try. As an eighth-grader, Jones was tabbed to play on the Apple Valley high school varsity team, and his stock absolutely took off. The team was very competitive in Jones’ underclassman years but peaked when he was a junior. That season, the team won the high school state championship, punctuated by Jones’ 18-18 perfect free throw percentage in the title game.
It was this performance, in part, which led the school to retire his jersey number. In his senior season, he scored over 25 points per game, eight assists per content, and just under five rebounds. In his high school career, he was named Minnesota boys basketball Gatorade player of the year three times. He was also an Under Armour Elite selection as well.
Tyus Jones – Team USA
Jones was such a well-renowned prospect that he was asked to represent his country for the United States basketball development team. He had an extremely decorated resume internationally before he ever turned 18. His teams won the 2014 FIBA Americas Under 18 championship, the 2012 FIBA Under 17 World championship, and the 2011 FIBA Americas Under 16 title. In the Under 19 World Championship, he averaged just over eight points a night, and just over six dimes a game. Coupled with his play in the high school state championships, Jones’ career was off to an excellent start.
What college did Tyus Jones go to?
He could’ve stopped playing basketball before his 18th birthday and still had a great career, but Jones’ star only rose at Duke University in North Carolina. The McDonald’s All American was given the opportunity to join the Blue Devils’ starting lineup right away as a freshman, which was a move head coach Mike Krzyzewski would not regret. His freshman season would end being the only campaign of his college career, but Jones certainly made it a memorable one.
He made all ACC third team and was the engine of a Blue Devils team that won the national championship. He started to turn heads in NBA Draft circles playing big in tournament games on CBS Sports and was named the Most Outstanding Player In the Final Four. He averaged just under 12 points a game in his only college season.
Tyus Jones – Minnesota Timberwolves Early Career
Capitalizing on his memorable NCAA tournament run with Duke, Jones decided to enter the NBA draft, rather than play another season in college. He was chosen with the 24th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers but was traded to Minnesota on draft night. While the franchise was not a consistent winner when the former Blue Devils point guard joined the team, the roster was filled with young talent in the backcourt. Players like Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, and Andrew Wiggins were the primary options at guard for head coach Sam Mitchell during Jones’ rookie campaign. As a result, he only averaged 15.5 minutes per night, and only appeared in 37 games.
After an underwhelming rookie year, Jones was determined to make a better impression in his second season. He put in a lot of time that offseason to improve and had a tremendous performance in the Las Vegas NBA summer league in 2016. Not only did he lead the Wolves summer league team to the championship game, but Jones was also named the Most Valuable Player for the tournament. He averaged 19.4 points per game, as well as just over six assists and four rebounds.
Tyus Jones – Second Half Of Wolves Career
Under new Minnesota head coach Tom Thibodeau, Jones could have received a new opportunity to prove that he was the long-term answer for the team. However, the team decided to bring in Kris Dunn in the 2016 NBA Draft, which blocked the way for Jones to achieve meaningful playing time in his second NBA season.
While he appeared in more games, he played less in each game, as the team decided to feature other players. Jones’ most significant contribution in Minnesota came in his third year with the team. He did something not many players in the NBA ever achieve in this day and age—he played all 82 games. The Wolves made the playoffs by virtue of beating the Denver Nuggets in the final game of the regular season. The team lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs, falling to the Houston Rockets in five games. Jones got his most run in Game 2, where he played 28 minutes. The former Blue Devil would end up playing one more season in Minnesota.
The team took a step back that year, and Jones once again faced competition for playing time from the likes of veterans Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose. Despite that, Jones ended up starting 23 games and averaged nearly 23 minutes a night(both career highs) in 68 games played.
Tyus Jones – Memphis Grizzlies
Despite only being in his early twenties, the outlook for Jones and how he could contribute to teams moving forward was a bit of a mixed bag. It didn’t seem like he would get the chance to be the starting point guard anywhere but was looking for a place where he could be a valuable member of the rotation. In July 2019, he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies, and the fit appears to be working for both the player and the team.
The Grizzlies are set for many years at the point guard position with budding superstar Ja Morant, but it is important for them to have a solid insurance policy to back him up. Jones has certainly been more in the mix with Memphis than he was with Minnesota, playing in 65 and 70 games respectively in his first two years there. So far this season, he has appeared in virtually all of the team’s games and plays an important role for a team looking to take the next step in the Western Conference. He actually set a career-high with eight rebounds in a game against Denver this past November.
Tyus Jones – NBA Future
At this point in time, it looks like Jones is not going to reach the type of heights scouts thought he might achieve coming out of high school or college. That may not be a bad thing, however. There are many players who play for 10-15 years in the NBA and provide reliable playmaking ability. Given Jones’ recent history with the Grizzlies, there are a lot of reasons to think that he will be a trusted option for many seasons to come.
How much does Tyus Jones make?
Tyus Jones signed a 2-year $29,000,000 contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. His annual salary amounts to $14,500,000.
