With the NBA Finals coming to a close and the Golden State Warriors cutting down the nets, attention in the basketball world now shifts to the NBA Draft and free agency. Fans and analysts are hypothesizing about what moves will be made in the coming days, weeks, and months.
While most of the attention on draft night will be on the league’s future with future stars like Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, and Chet Holmgren entering the league, free agency shines a light on the preset on the league.
Free agency allows teams that are a few pieces away from competing to add said pieces and prepare to make a run. These organizations believe they are just a few pieces away from competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
One player that should get a ton of attention during free agency is point guard Tyus Jones. After winning a National Championship at Duke,he is now a member of his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played for four seasons. The former Duke standout has spent the last three seasons as the backup to Ja Morant in Memphis. Jones was excellent during his tenure in Memphis. In 2021-22 he averaged 8.7 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. He elevated his play in the postseason, where he averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 assists on 39.4% shooting from the field.
While his per-game averages might not jump off the page, Tyus Jones made NBA history this season. He finished the season with a 6.8 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio, becoming the NBA’s all-time leader in a single season. In doing so, he became the first player to post a 6:1 ratio in a full season, the previous leader was Muggsy Bogues at 5.94:1.
Jones did all this while he was the backup to All-NBA Second Team member Ja Morant. Morant missed quite a bit of time throughout the regular season and the playoffs, but Jones was able to fill in with ease. He led Memphis to a 21-6 record while Morant dealt with injuries.
Jones’ big year off the Memphis bench, and filling in as Morant’s replacement when needed, came at the perfect time as his contract is expiring, and he will enter free agency.
So what are the best options for Tyus Jones, where should he play next season and beyond? Does he want to take on a starting role or is he content with being a backup on a contending team?
Boston
The Boston Celtics finally returned to the NBA Finals this season. The Celtics are led by stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart. They were oh so close to bringing another championship to the parquet court in Boston. One of their big downfalls in the Finals was turnovers.
In a pivotal Game 6, at home, the Celtics turned the ball over 22 times in a 13-point loss to the Golden State Warriors. This came after they had 18 turnovers in the loss in Game 5 and 15 in Game 4.
Turnovers were so detrimental to Boston this year and they were so close to winning a championship. How do they fix this problem? Bring in Tyus Jones. Whether as a starter or to backup Marcus Smart. The Celtics lack a true point gaud and Jones seems like a perfect fit on this championship-level roster.
With Jones, the Celtics could in theory clean up their turnover problem and be right back competing for the Larry O’Brien next season.
New York
Will Tyus Jones soon be yelling “Bing-Bong” on the court at Madison Square Garden? The Knicks are a team that could allow Jones to become a starting point guard on one of the biggest stages in all of the NBA.
The Knicks are so interesting, they were the talk of the league in 2020-21 as they finished 10 games above .500 and made the playoffs. It could’ve been assumed they would build off that success in 2021-22, but they would finish below .500 and miss the playoffs.
The Knicks have several point guards on their books including former star players in Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker. Rose didn’t play in 2021-22 due to injury as he played in just 26 games. Walker struggled in his first season in the Big Apple. Both could be seen as trade pieces this offseason for a Knicks’ front office that will no doubt be looking to make splashes.
While Tyus Jones might not be the biggest name to get for the Knicks, he could be a great fit for a very fun and very young team. Jones could help in the development of fellow former Duke Blue Devils RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish.
I, for one, can only imagine the pick-and-roll with Jones and Julius Randle would fantastic. It seems as if Jones might be the perfect person to slide in to run the point at MSG.
Memphis
While Jones would more than likely have to take a pay cut, he could always stay at his new home in the role he has played for the past three seasons. Jones is valued in Memphis and loved by the team and fans alike.
Jones showed his ability as a starting point guard while Morant missed time as he led the team to a 21-6 record, which was so important to the team earning the two seed in the Western Conference.
Memphis losing Jones would be a huge hit for them and it would simply make them worse. The front office should make re-signing him a priority. With Morant’s injury history, Memphis must realize that having a great backup point guard is a priority. Tyus Jones might be the best in the NBA.
