Revisiting completely wrong preseason Timberwolves predictions

Tyus Jones’ Role On The Team

Nobody really expected Tyus to even be part of the rotation in Minnesota, let along play meaningful minutes consistently. Even our own Ben Beecken didn’t predict this in his season preview for Tyus Jones:

"The only way that Jones will be seeing the floor this year is if Ricky Rubio is traded or there is some sort of injury. Also, Thibodeau seems to have a thing for overstocking the point guard spot, both with Chicago and with the current training camp roster."

There was no reason to believe otherwise, after all: he didn’t seem to have the skill Rubio possesses or Dunn’s potential putting him behind both of them in the depth chart. But he did end up proving us wrong, proving to be one of the few pleasant surprises of this season. (Of course, Thibodeau didn’t play Jones much at all early in the season and the former Duke Blue Devil has only recently become part of the regular rotation.)

Jones has provided shooting that neither Rubio nor Dunn possess and has consistently been a spark off the bench, often outplaying the two-guards ahead of him in the rotation. The Timberwolves have been 5.8 points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the court, showing that that numbers match the eye test.

Maybe it’s on us for underestimating his ability. He might not be as athletic as other point guards in the league, and his 6′-2″, 192-pound frame doesn’t really stand out in the NBA. However, he was the Summer League MVP, averaging 20.4 points and 6.8 assists per game, and he did have a great collegiate career at Duke.

Regardless, we clearly set the bar too low on Jones and he proceeded to show that throughout this season.