Dat2U wrote:I struggle to see how Tyus is any better than Monte Morris. Different play styles but Monte was more efficient and rarely turned over the ball.
An unusual thing about Tyus Jones is that he is a
significantly better shooter off the dribble than he is off the catch-and-shoot:
Chase Hughes with Yahoo Sports wrote:In the reverse of what you often see from NBA players, Jones is a better shooter the more he dribbles. He shot a higher percentage last season on pull-up shots (44.4%) than he did on catch-and-shoot plays (37.6%). It's a consistent increase when you break it down by the dribble. Last year, Jones shot 37.8% on zero dribbles, 45.8% after one dribble, 51.6% after two dribbles and 49.1% on 3-to-6 dribbles.
It seems to me that Dawkins is banking on Tyus being somewhat miscast in Memphis with too much off-ball duty while alongside Morant. Tyus is much better with the ball in his hands. When Ja was out and Tyus was the primary initiator, here is what he did:
Tyus Jones as a starter last year per 36 minutes (22 games total)
17.8 points
8.8 assists
4.4 rebounds
2.0 steals
0.0 blocks
1.7 turnovers
.598 TS%
Tyus Jones, as the primary ball-handler and offense initiator, is really good. 17.8 points and 8.8 assists per 36 are pretty big numbers. 8.8 assists per 36 would rank 8th in the league (ranked by per 36) while also having the lowest turnover rate of anyone in the top 15 passers. 17.8 points per 36 would rank 85th in the league, so roughly good enough to be a 3rd option - at a TS% over league average. Basically, his offensive numbers as a starter are halfway between Mike Conley and Darius Garland. And 2.0 steals is no joke either. That ranks 5th in the league (per 36).
And let's not overlook that Memphis, without Ja Morant, doesn't really have a lot of offensive weapons. There's Bane who is good, and JJJ who is okay, and that's about it. So it's not like Jones was being ignored by defenses. Memphis went 13-9 with Jones starting (a 48 win pace). In the previous season, Jones started 23 games and Memphis went 19-4.
For comparison, here are Monte Morris numbers last year per 36 minutes:
13.5 points
6.9 assists
4.5 rebounds
0.9 steals
0.3 blocks
1.3 turnovers
.579 TS%
13.5 points and 6.9 assists are pretty anemic numbers over 36 minutes. And frankly, the TS% isn't so great for someone who is being so selective in his shot opportunities. The low turnovers are fantastic, of course.