Key player: Timberwolves vs. Spurs
By Trey Flynn
Tyus Jones will be the key to defeating the San Antonio Spurs
Spurs point guard, Dejounte Murray, has made his adversaries over the past several games extremely uncomfortable due to his versatility and intangibles on the defensive end. Jeff Teague and Andrew Wiggins will most likely have their hands full, so who can we put our trust in?
No surprise here, Tyus Jones.
As of late, Jones hasn’t impressed the masses due to his inconsistent stat line. Aesthetically, Jones has shown that he can maximize the potential of any lineup on the court.
On a more analytical stat sheet, Tyus Jones separates himself from the rest of the pack.
2017-18 Real Plus-Minus – Point Guards
| RK | NAME | TEAM | GP | MPG | ORPM | DRPM | RPM | WINS |
| 1 | Chris Paul | HOU | 50 | 31.9 | 5.58 | 1.92 | 7.50 | 10.45 |
| 2 | James Harden | HOU | 60 | 35.6 | 7.28 | -0.35 | 6.93 | 13.55 |
| 3 | Stephen Curry | GS | 50 | 32.1 | 6.96 | -0.97 | 5.99 | 10.08 |
| 4 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 65 | 32.1 | 3.94 | 1.01 | 4.95 | 10.87 |
| 5 | Tyus Jones | MIN | 69 | 17.9 | 2.06 | 2.62 | 4.68 | 6.02 |
Via ESPN, the real plus-minus metric shows us the ability for a player to turn their individual basketball ability into team success. Tyus Jones has proven to be one of the most underrated players in the NBA, therefore contributing nicely to several of the Wolves wins this season. For the Timberwolves to win against the Spurs, they will need to attack the lackluster defense of future Hall of Fame candidates, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli.
Luckily, the Wolves have their secret weapon.
Check out Tyus Jones and Minnesota as they go to San Antonio this Saturday night, on NBA TV.