Will Tyus Jones last as Wolves’ Starting PG?

Tyus Jones has enjoyed his first starts of his career this season, and with Jeff Teague out for an indefinite amount of time, Jones has been Tom Thibodeau’s go-to. Despite his contributions, Jones’ stat lines don’t exactly burst off the page, so will he last as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ starting point guard?

Tyus Jones’ contributions on the court aren’t always represented in the stat lines. After his impressive seven steal game, Jones has kept his presence felt on the court in a number of different ways.

In his six career starts, Jones has always had a positive +/-. Minneosta is 4-2 in those games, and he’s racked up at least a +20 in all four of the victories.

Although Aaron Brooks received the start over Jones in Jeff’s Teague’s first missed game of the season, Thibodeau has chosen to stick with Jones ever since. A quick look at the difference between them shows why.

Despite being a veteran, compared to Jones who is still on his rookie contract, Brooks’ biggest contribution while on the court is his point total. Per 36 minutes, Brooks averages 14 points to Jones’ 8.7, but Jones takes the lead in every other major statistical category.

More from Dunking with Wolves

• The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
• Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
• In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
• Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

Jones averages .8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals higher than Brooks over 36 minutes, and falls just 0.04 percent lower on field goal percentage. Jones also manages 2.3 fewer personal fouls, and 1.5 fewer turnovers in the same time period when compared to Brooks.

In the Timberwolves’ 17-point win over the Indiana Pacers on New Year’s Eve, Jones was a +30 in 27 minutes as a starter. As the Wolves’ most-used bench player of the night with 21 minutes, Brooks was a -13.

Despite the stat line advantage, minus scoring, Jones’ biggest difference is felt right there in the +/-. The biggest advantage that the Wolves have when he’s on the court is that he makes everyone around him better. His basketball IQ and decision making are at a superior level, that once won him the NCAA Final Four’s most outstanding player award in college.

While he makes his teammates better on the court, he also seems to get along with them off the court, as a recent Jamal Crawford tweet showed.

To put it simply, Jones is doing everything the Wolves need him to. His scoring simply isn’t needed by the Wolves, as his presence on the court generates enough points by other players around him.

Jones’ ability to knock down open threes, which he is shooting at 39 percent, comes in handy for the Wolves’ in times of need, as he’s shown before, and ensures defenders don’t slack off him to double team a bigger player.

If Jones could find a way to generate more scoring without sacrificing his other stats and ability’s to improve those around him, he could find himself in a starting role in the next few seasons. Some fans have already called for Jones to start over Teague, although it’s unlikely we’ll see that anytime soon.

Jones may be loved as a fan favorite due to his reputation as ‘the hometown kid’, born and raised in Minnesota, but his play is certainly backing up the reason he is a Timberwolf, and will hopefully stay that way into the future.

As the way things stand now, Jones should be the Wolves’ starting point guard during Teague’s undetermined amount of time off. Unless Tom Thibodeau decides to use his spare time paternity spot, that’s likely to happen. Jones’ contributions are felt on the court in many ways, and the way the Wolves have been playing with him shouldn’t be ignored.

Next: 5 New Year’s Resolutions for the Timberwolves

Tyus Jones has been having an incredible year for the Timberwolves, and it’s far from over yet.