The Memphis Grizzlies new front office took a lot of gambles this offseason, but one that has certainly paid off was the signing of Tyus Jones.
Memphis Grizzlies was certainly active this last summer, in what was one of the biggest free agent summers of recent memory. The overhauling of the aging roster, offloading contracts and assembling a core of young players as a foundation for the future. Perhaps though, one of the team’s most underrated acquisitions was that of former Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Tyus Jones.
The move to acquire restricted free agent Jones from Minnesota was just one of the instances of the pragmatism and ingenuity that the new Memphis front office displayed over the summer– mainly due to who Jones is as a player, how they acquired him and his contract.
Jones signed a three-year, $28 million offer sheet with the Grizzlies; however since he was a restricted free agent, the Timberwolves had the option of matching the offer, or they could let him walk. A few days later, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the team was declining to match in effort to create cap space for 2020, sending Jones to Memphis:
The Minnesota Timberwolves are declining to match the Memphis Grizzlies’ three-year, $28M offer sheet for restricted free agent guard Tyus Jones, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 10, 2019
After a season at Duke, Jones was drafted 24th overall by the Cavs in 2015 and immediately traded to Minnesota where he spent the first four years of his career. In 68 games, he averaged 6.9 points and 4.8 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from the floor for the Timberwolves this past season. On top of that, in his 23 games as a member of the starting rotation, he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 assists per game, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from 3-point range, and 85.7 percent from the free throw line.
While the stats may not jump off the page right away, his overall stats for the year are being hampered by 45 games he played while performing under 20 minutes.
This season, Jones has seen increased scoring output and offensive efficiency, and hasn’t seen a huge drop-off in any of his stats from the previous season. Whatever drop-offs that have been seen can probably be attributed to a role reduction, as his minutes have been reduced as a result of playing behind Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, who both had breakout years this season.
Regardless, it’s clear that Jones is going to be a good, long-term addition for the team, and will prove to be just one more smart gamble by an up-and-coming front office.