Memphis Grizzlies: Tyus Jones could turn opportunity into huge payday

With superstar guard Ja Morant out for an extended period of time, one Memphis Grizzlies player has an opportunity to turn a negative into a huge positive.

Young veteran Tyus Jones has primarily been a backup point guard for the duration of his career, including in the three seasons he’s been with the Grizzlies.

But, now that Morant is out of action, Jones has been inserted as the starting point guard for the team.

How Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones can parlay his stint as a starter into a huge payday

Out of 403 game appearances in his NBA career, Jones has just 51 starts under his belt. If we look even closer, Jones has suited up in 156 games for Memphis, starting just 17 times.

Tyus Jones, 25, will be an unrestricted free agent upon the conclusion of the 2021-22 NBA season.

If Jones shows teams that he can handle the role of a starting point guard or continue to demonstrate why he’s one of the premiere back-ups in the league, he’ll find himself getting some very lucrative offers from Memphis or around the Association.

A playoff team in need of one more solid addition could find it in Tyus Jones. Or the Grizzlies front off may see why there’s value in retaining Jones as an insurance policy for when Morant goes down with an injury. Either way, he’s likely to attract offers much better than the current 3-year, $26.44 million contract he’s finishing up.

Morant plays so physically and attacks the rim harder than just about anyone in the NBA, so tweaks, sprains, bumps, and bruises are bound to happen every now and then.

The Grizzlies will be hard-pressed to find a better back-up than Jones, but will his great play during this stretch price the Grizzlies out of retaining him?

Jones is averaging 6 points, 3.4 assists, and shooting 43% from beyond the arc through the first quarter of the season. He only turns the ball over 0.6 times during the 17 minutes per game he’s currently averaging.