Why Tyus Jones is worth every penny for the Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies fans were able to breathe a deep sigh of relief on Thursday as Tyus Jones chose to re-sign with the team on the first day of the NBA’s free agency period. Retaining Jones is another championship move from Memphis’ front office and serves to benefit the team in multiple facets. Retaining Jones adds […]
Memphis Grizzlies fans were able to breathe a deep sigh of relief on Thursday as Tyus Jones chose to re-sign with the team on the first day of the NBA’s free agency period. Retaining Jones is another championship move from Memphis’ front office and serves to benefit the team in multiple facets.
Retaining Jones adds another feather in general manager Zach Kleiman’s hat. The Grizzlies inked Jones to a two-year deal worth $30M, and he is worth every penny.
His ability to take care of the basketball makes him the most valuable backup point guard in the league. Jones had the best single-season assist to turnover ratio in NBA history last season at 7:04/1. No player has ever posted a 7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the history of the game.
But this was no flash in the pan season for the player Grizz fans appropriately refer to as Stones. In fact, Jones finished the 2018-19 season with 6.96 assists for every one turnover, which is the second-best single-season mark in league history. This would be a good time to note that Jones has led the NBA in AST-to-TO ration for four consecutive seasons, the longest such streak in NBA history.
There were times last season when Grizzlies star Ja Morant was forced out of the lineup due to injury. Normally, a team replacing a superstar would sputter and embark on an ugly losing streak. That was not the case for Memphis.
In Morant’s absence, Jones started in 23 games last year. Jones showed that he is capable of commanding the team’s offense without Morant, averaging 12.7 PPG and 6.6 APG en route to a 19-4 record in his starts.
Interestingly enough, the Grizzlies had a better winning percentage with Jones starting at point guard (.826) than with Morant as the starter (.631).
By retaining Jones, the Grizzlies will now be able to properly develop its second-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Kennedy Chandler. Drafted after his freshman season at the University of Tennessee, Chandler’s game still needs work. This allows the team to bring Chandler along at their own pace without risking the rookie’s confidence.
Barring any major trades, the Grizzlies’ roster appears to be finalized. If that is indeed the case, Kleiman and the front office should be pleased with their work.
Though fans are always itching for a major move, Memphis didn’t need a ton of roster reconstructing this summer. One could easily make a case that the Grizzlies were a Morant knee injury away from an appearance in the NBA Finals.
Summer League action is on deck for the Grizzlies, and after looking at this roster I’m not convinced that they will lose a game.
Featured image via Joe Rondone – USA TODAY Sports
