Ex-Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones sounds off after Wizards lose to Memphis
By Mark Nilon
After a crushing 31-point blowout loss to the OKC Thunder on Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies got back to winning ways Tuesday evening in a triumphant win over the Wizards.
A night that saw big performances from numerous players within Taylor Jenkins' rotation, the Grizzlies took command of a slumping Wizards squad, ultimately breezing to a 109-97 victory by the time the final buzzer sounded.
Despite it being a bout between two of the league's lower-performing clubs, the contest did have some sentimental weight attached to it, as it served as Tyus Jones' first time returning to Memphis since being traded in the Marcus Smart blockbuster last offseason.
Though he and his former teammates were all smiles and showered one another with love while on the floor, behind closed doors Jones was anything but pleased with how the night unfolded for his Wizards, as The Athletic's Josh Robbins revealed in a recent piece what the veteran guard had to say about his team's efforts on the night.
Tyus Jones sounds off on Wizards after crushing loss to Grizzlies
"Unacceptable from top to bottom. Just our effort, our attention to detail from the start just wasn’t where it needs to be, wasn’t where it has been the last couple of games."
- Tyus Jones, transcribed by Josh Robbins
In his first season serving as a full-time starting point guard, Jones has actually proven to be quite effective in his role -- something Grizzlies fans have known he's been capable of for years.
Through 65 games manning the one for the Wizards, the 27-year-old finds himself posting impressive averages of 12.0 points, 7.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals while shooting 49.0 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from deep.
Unfortunately, he was seemingly incapable of producing to such a tune against his former employers, as the Grizzlies held the guard to just 4 points on a putrid 11.1 percent shooting from deep, though he did still manage to drop 9 assists on the night, one that led to a beautiful fast-break jam for Kyle Kuzma early in the third.