Signed for a short-term contract, only one year, worth $3 million, Tyus Jones accepted this “small” salary because, after eight seasons playing understudy in his native Minnesota and in Memphis, he will quite simply become a starter… with a title contender in Phoenix!
Author of his best career season last year, with 12 points and 7 assists on average in the doldrums of the Wizards, where he earned more than 14 million dollars per season, Jones kept smiling knowing that he will be able to feed good balls, night after night, to All-Stars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
The king of the “passes/lost balls” ratio
“With our Big 3, everyone knows their game. If you are a basketball fan, you know how they play and how they like play,” he explains on Sportskeeda. “For me, it's about learning the nuances of their game and learning how to communicate well with them, just to make sure we're on the same page. They are elite players so you have to understand them as best as possible to make their job easy. »
Best leader in the League in the “passes – lost balls” ratio since 2019, Jones arrives in Arizona with a tailor-made role: he will have to put in place the playing systems, supposed to highlight the three gunslingers of the Suns.
“It’s a title I’m proud of. But it's not so much the ratio as not losing the ball. That’s mostly what I focus on. I want to give as many quality possessions as possible to my team. Because everything starts from the leader. Obviously, the more passes I make, the better. But I still prefer not to lose the ball and give the team good possessions the majority of the time. »
Finally with a suitor!
While Jusuf Nurkic is supposed to compensate defensively in the paint, Jones will also have the mission of best complementing the three stars who he will also have to supply with good balls in attack.
“The spacing and their force of attraction will move the defenses. They require a lot of attention so we will have to respect our spacing and ensure that we move at the right timing to cut at the right time. We have to be on the same wavelength. But with the offensive power we have, we should be able to generate open shots. »
Except for a conference semifinal with the Grizzlies in 2022, Jones has never made it past the first round of the playoffs during his career. For his tenth turn in the NBA, he will finally start a season with a team capable of going to the end.
“That means a lot. It's a great opportunity for me to be in a great team. That's why we work. We want to win the title so coming to a contender is what everyone is looking for. I hope we can play important matches and matches to get the title. »
| Tyus Jones | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | MIN | 37 | 16 | 35.9 | 30.2 | 71.8 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 4.2 |
| 2016-17 | MIN | 60 | 13 | 41.4 | 35.6 | 76.7 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 3.5 |
| 2017-18 | MIN | 82 | 18 | 45.7 | 34.9 | 87.7 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.1 |
| 2018-19 | MIN | 68 | 23 | 41.5 | 31.7 | 84.1 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 6.9 |
| 2019-20 | M.E.M. | 65 | 19 | 45.9 | 37.9 | 74.1 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 7.5 |
| 2020-21 | M.E.M. | 70 | 18 | 43.1 | 32.1 | 91.1 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 6.3 |
| 2021-22 | M.E.M. | 73 | 21 | 45.1 | 39.0 | 81.8 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 8.7 |
| 2022-23 | M.E.M. | 80 | 24 | 43.8 | 37.1 | 80.0 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 5.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 10.3 |
| 2023-24 | W.A.S. | 66 | 29 | 48.9 | 41.4 | 80.0 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 7.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 12.0 |
| Total | 601 | 20 | 44.5 | 36.7 | 81.3 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 7.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
