How Tyus Jones has impacted the Timberwolves rotation

When Tyus Jones was called up from the D-league about two weeks ago, the move had larger consequences on the Timberwolves than most people expected.

It seemed like the decision was mostly based on the D-league not having games in the coming days, plus a heavier stretch in the Wolves’ schedule. It was assumed that Jones would join the team to stay on top of his game, learn the offense a little bit more, and get garbage time minutes when available.

Instead, Jones played 20 meaningful minutes against the Spurs in his first game back. He became the de facto backup point guard for the next several games as he and Ricky Rubio combined for nearly the entire 48 minutes at point guard each night.

Jones hasn’t been very good to this point, however. In the recent seven-game stretch where he had a defined role, he averaged an even 12 minutes per game, but the Wolves were outscored in every game except one while he was on the floor.

He had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 13:8 in that span, showing a decent understanding of NBA-level defense, but nothing advanced. He understands that his role in the offense is a limited one, and he plays within that. His defense hasn’t been great, but that isn’t surprising, given that he’s a rookie who was already expected to struggle on that end of the floor.

The issue of greater magnitude than Jones’ play is his effect on the rotation. In those seven games, he averaged 12 minutes while Rubio got 32.9 and Zach LaVine 21.6. Andre Miller has had very inconsistent playing time this season, but he had logged six straight games played before Jones’ arrival; after, he didn’t play in the next six games before being brought back out to play 11 (great) minutes against the 76ers when the second unit was really struggling.

In the seven games Jones has played in since he was called up, the threesome of Rubio, LaVine, and Andrew Wiggins appeared in six of those and averaged 8.4 minutes together — well above the frequency that they were playing together prior to that point. In the 26 games before Jones was called up, the Rubio-LaVine-Wiggins trio got to run together in only 17 of those games for an average of a measly six minutes.

Likely, it would still be better if LaVine became the starting shooting guard and Wiggins moved to small forward. Some of LaVine’s struggles at the two could be resolved by playing more with Rubio and getting easy shots to fall at the beginning of the game. Instead, he’s often having to create for himself on the second unit, and while he’s not been terrible at that, things could be a lot easier for him if he got to play consistently with Rubio.

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The biggest change was that LaVine has rarely played point guard since Jones was called up. The numbers used just showed the increase in his minutes with Rubio running the point, but the rest of his minutes almost always coincided with Jones on the floor with him. LaVine has still had plenty of opportunities to run the pick-and-roll like he does when he plays point, but it was an interesting change of his role.

While the sample size was small (the rotation once again changed last night as Kevin Martin made his return and Nikola Pekovic played in his first game of the year earlier in the week), the short set of games showed that Coach Mitchell is not completely averse to the idea of playing LaVine at the two for the majority of his minutes. He has been getting minutes at point guard to help him with his decision making and his ability to read the floor, but it still looks like the plan is for him to eventually play shooting guard.

As a Timberwolves fan, I hope that happens. LaVine is an ultra-athletic wing that would pair well with Andrew Wiggins. Having those two on the break with Rubio would be nigh unstoppable, and while LaVine has improved his defense this year, Wiggins can still take the opponent’s number one wing scorer, leaving LaVine with an easier assignment on that end.

It would also lead to more plays like this:

With more playing time together, this would become more common and would make the Wolves even more fun to watch.

As the Wolves figure out how to work everybody into the rotation, Jones will likely be the odd man out again and LaVine will shift back to guiding the second unit as point guard. Martin will reassume his spot at shooting guard, but his remaining time with the Timberwolves may be short.

I’m a fan of Courtney Lee and think that trade would be great for the Wolves, but it doesn’t seem like Memphis is all that interested. Still, the point remains that the Wolves are actively trying to find a suitor for Martin. How quickly that occurs is anyone’s guess, but I would be surprised if he isn’t moved by the trade deadline in February.

Next: No Frills Wolves Podcast: What's Gone Wrong?

It seems like Jones’ return to the D-League is imminent with the Wolves’ roster fully healthy for the first time all season, but his brief time with the big league team offered a valuable glimpse into what the rotation would look like if Kevin Martin is traded.