Nick Crain

11/9/22

  During the offseason, Tyus Jones signed a new two-year, $29 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. While the Grizzlies have their backcourt of the future with Ja Morant and Desmond, it’s extremely important to have depth behind them to run the second unit. This is exactly what Jones’ role is, as he’s a quality facilitator off the bench. At this moment, the Athledex platform projects Jones’ Real-Time Contract Value to be $21.22 million, while he’s making $15 million this season. Why this is a good deal for Memphis? Jones is a reliable lead guard that helps to ensure the Grizzlies maintain dominance even when their starters aren’t on the court.

Passing and Facilitation

Last season, Jones produced 4.4 assists per game in a role that was primarily off the bench. This is outstanding, considering there’s several starting guards around the league that don’t dish out that many on average. Being a point guard is more than just being a passer, but the 26-year-old is the full package. Jones is a great game manager and is a huge piece of why Memphis was sixth in bench points per game last season as he set up teammates and ran the offense.

Minimal Mistakes

Not only is Jones great at running the second unit, but he does it while also taking care of the ball. To this point in the season, he’s averaging just one turnover to his 3.3 assists per game. This is huge for a team like Memphis, especially when the playoffs come around. Turnovers can kill a team on any given night, but with Jones coming in off the bench Memphis can carry efficiency and momentum all throughout the game.

Injury Insurance

Injuries happen throughout the season, which is a major obstacle every team faces. Luckily for the Grizzlies, Jones can slot in as a starter and be effective. While many teams begin to lose momentum during the course of a season when the injury bug hits, the Grizzlies have a bit of insurance with their backup point guard. In fact, Jones started in 23 games last season for this reason and produced 9.7 points, 4.9 assists and one steal in just 23.3 minutes per contest. In those 23 games, Memphis went 19-4 with Ja Morant sidelined and Jones as the starter.

Defensive Upside

Although he’s one of the smaller guards in the league, Jones is a pesky defender. In fact, just last season he had a better defensive rating than Marcus Smart in games that he started. Jones generated 66 steals in the 2021-22 campaign, which was tied with Morant for fifth on the roster. He was part of a Grizzlies team last season that was near the top five of the league on defense the entire year. Real-Time Contract Value: $21.22 million