Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 things they need this offseason

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DENVER, CO – APRIL 1: Tyus Jones. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

#3 – Have a plan at backup point guard

Many Wolves fans have already answered this question for Thibs and are ready to flip to the next item on the list.

Tyus Jones, amirite?

Well, sure, you are right. Jones is the answer, as it’s fairly clear that he was the NBA’s best pure backup point guard during the 2017-18 season. From my review of Jones’ season:

"Jones did finish seventh among all point guards in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus (RPM) metric at 4.77, just behind Russell Westbrook and ahead of the likes of Jrue Holiday, Kemba Walker, Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, and Ricky Rubio. He also posted more win shares per 48 minutes than Teague and a better box score plus-minus, according to Basketball-Reference. While it would be foolish to take RPM (or any other metric, for that matter) as gospel, it’s notable that Jones ranks highly in a number of categories. Clearly, the impact he had on the court in his 17.9 minutes per game was positive, and given the rest of the bench unit he was playing alongside, it’s even more significant."

Easy enough, right? Well, let’s consider the facts, which point to Thibodeau loving the impact that Rose had on the Wolves team down the stretch in March and April. To be fair, Rose did have a positive influence when on the floor in the playoffs, but to what end? His defense is far inferior to Jones’, and his ball-dominant ways don’t necessarily fit with what the Wolves need out of their second unit.

Jones is also one of the Wolves’ most tradeable assets, due to his contract, age, and level of production. A world in which Thibodeau flips Jones for another asset and brings back Rose on an affordable deal is not a world that I would rule out as of late May.

While many would firmly believe that Jones is the answer at the backup point guard spot and the Wolves’ trade assets and cap space are better used elsewhere versus a scenario that jettisons Jones in favor of Rose, the reality is that we have no idea what Thibs is about to do. And whatever it is, he needs to make a decision sooner rather than later and not let these questions hang over everyone’s head in the meantime.