Minnesota Timberwolves Power Rankings: Bench hierarchy is solidifying
8. Tyus Jones (7)
Season stats: 14.0 MPG – 2.8 PPG – 2.4 APG – 0.5 SPG – 37.8% FG – 28.6% 3PT – 90% FT
Weekly stats: 12.3 MPG – 2.0 PPG – 3.5 APG – 0.8 SPG – 33.3% FG
It was another average week for Tyus Jones, whose play will never directly win any games but won’t lose any, either.
Despite his mediocre shooting percentages, Jones still managed to stay above Gorgui Dieng with his impressive point guard play, which lead to a healthy rise in his assist averages.
Jones has looked like a menace in the pick-and-roll with Karl-Anthony Towns, a play that has been used far too infrequently by the team this season.
Down 20-28 in the second quarter, the Wolves rattled off 11 consecutive makes, entirely keyed by the bench (mostly by Tyus Jones). The last four were all high pick-and-roll between Jones and KAT. By the time Tyus sat, the Wolves lead 44-38 pic.twitter.com/CZNjGTMDcC
— Key Sang (@Phantele_) November 16, 2017
As you can see above, when Jones is playing well he can lead the team as well as we have seen anyone do it this season, and his expected leadership can help turn this bench unit around and help the Timberwolves maintain the leads they have seemed to blow far too often.
His offense may have been stellar – when he wasn’t shooting – this week, but Jones defense was far too shaky to please his defense-obsessed coach.
Jones finished the power rankings week with a Defensive Rating of 111.6. A mark that would make Thibs cringe.
Jones may have been improving on both sides of the ball this year, but he is still too inconsistent, and for that he has seen his minutes drop this week.
Even if many fans don’t agree with Thibs decision to keep Jones on the bench for extended periods, his poor shooting will continue to hamper Jones if he has more weeks shooting like this one, pick-and-roll excellence or not.