For years, Tyus Jones was considered one of the best role players in the league. Jones spent the first four seasons (2015 to 2019) of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he established himself as a quality backup point guard and was beloved by Wolves fans. He really blossomed during his next four years with the Memphis Grizzlies, though. Behind Ja Morant, Jones proved to be an elite backup PG, averaging 8.3 points and 4.5 assists. For six straight seasons, Jones led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.
While Jones remains a dependable playmaker, his scoring and defense have fallen off a cliff with the Orlando Magic this season. Jones is having the worst season of his career, averaging 3.2 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 rebounds, on 35.6/29.9/100 shooting splits.
The Duke product is still averaging 16.8 minutes; however, he no longer looks unplayable, and Magic fans have been begging head coach Jamahl Mosley to cut Jones out of the rotation. Perhaps once Jalen Suggs returns from injury, Jones will be removed from the rotation. Notably, the Magic are 8.6 points worse with Jones on the floor. Jones has had 17 scoreless games and just three games where he's reached double figures.
Between his lack of self-creation, burst, 3-point shooting, size, and defense, it's tough to justify Jones getting real minutes.
Jones' steep decline puts him on thin ice
Jones' decline is pretty stunning. Just two years ago, he was considered one of the best role players with the Washington Wizards. While Jones wasn't a perfect fit, he was still productive last season with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 10.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.4 rebounds on 44.8/41.4/89.5 shooting splits. At just 29, seeing Jones decline this quickly is a bit jarring.
Coincidentally, his brother Tre has been extremely productive and could actually be a trade target for the Wolves.
Nevertheless, Tyus' season makes his NBA future unclear. Jones could be a trade candidate, but what team would be willing to buy low on him during such a lackluster season? During the offseason, Jones signed a one-year deal with the Magic, meaning he'll be a free agent after this season. Again, though, it's unclear what team (if any) will be willing to give him another contract.
That might sound harsh, and I'm not saying he's definitely going to be out of the league soon. Regardless, the margin of error is so thin in the NBA, and talented players can quickly be out of the league. Spencer Dinwiddie is the perfect example of this. After a productive 2024-25 campaign, the 32-year-old was waived by the Charlotte Hornets shortly before this season.
Hopefully, Jones can bounce back, but there haven't been many signs that this is a possibility, and unfortunately, that could spell doom for his NBA future.