Dunking With Wolves
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Offseason Improvement Plans

By Tyler Metcalf

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 7: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots a three-pointer against Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 7, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 7: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots a three-pointer against Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 7, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Tyus Jones #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Tyus Jones #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Tyus Jones: Outside shooting

Tyus Jones had a less than smooth year as he battled nagging injuries and waned between being a starter or a bench player. Despite this, he showed a lot of signs that suggest that the Timberwolves are a better team when he plays with the starters.

When Jones shared the floor with Taj Gibson, Robert Covington, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves had a net rating of 15.5. Even though Jones had an overall net rating of -.3 on the year, he fits perfectly with the starters because of his unselfishness. Jones isn’t a score first guard which allows the ball to flow through the more natural scorers.

Jones proved that he is a strong defensive point guard with his 2.2 steal percentage (91st percentile among point guards per Cleaning the Glass) and that he does an incredible job of taking care of the ball with his NBA record-setting 6.96 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jones’s skill set is a perfect compliment to the Timberwolves, but his big flaw was his inability to score from behind the arc.

If Jones wants to break into the starting role at any point, he must become more reliable from behind the arc. Jones is in a similar situation to Wiggins where he took far too many mid-range jumpers last season.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Jones’s mid-range frequency rose from 35 percent from the 2017-18 season (32nd percentile among point guards) to an unhealthy 49 percent (93rd percentile) while his three-point frequency dropped from 36 percent (56th percentile) to 26 percent (29th percentile). This change in mindset was likely due to Jones’s early season shooting struggles, but it is a concerning trend that needs to be corrected.

Jones’s ability to knock down jumpers opens so many possibilities for their offense. It puts pressure on opponents to guard every player on the floor and provides the Timberwolves with a backup scoring option.

Jones isn’t expected to score off the dribble, but he does need to be relied upon to make open shots when the team swings it to him or kicks it out of the post. This results in a lot of open catch-and-shoot opportunities that Jones just failed to execute as he scored a measly .917 points per possession (18th percentile) on unguarded shots off the catch. If Jones can improve to just an average outside shooter, he will help open a myriad of opportunities for the Timberwolves.