Tyus Jones: Timberwolves 2015 NBA Draft Profile

Feb 18, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) drives against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) in their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths:

Tyus Jones does a lot of things really well. Offensively, Jones became adept at running the pick-and-roll during his time at Duke, which is something many NBA teams use a lot, especially Flip Saunders. His experience using this offense could be valuable to a few teams looking to draft him in the middle of the first round.

What seems like the biggest strength of Jones’ is his incredible basketball IQ. He has excellent court awareness, vision, and doesn’t turn the ball over very often (only 1.9 per game last season despite playing over 33 minutes per game). This makes him a solid candidate to be the Timberwolves backup point guard, should they decide to go this route.

Defensively, if Jones has a strength, it’s his ability to use his long arms to get into passing lanes and create steals. This was Jones’ biggest defensive asset in college, and many times it led to a fast break situation and two points on the other end.

Additionally, Jones is a pretty consistent shooter. He shot 38% from three-point range last season, which isn’t spectacular but it is very solid. His free throw percentage is more impressive, where he shot 89% last season.

Lastly, Jones is one of those players that steps up in the big moment. As the NCAA Tournament wore on, Jones’ game got better and better. He made countless big plays for the Blue Devils down the stretch, and this trait is valuable to many NBA scouts.

Next: Weaknesses