If Tyus Jones played for any team besides the Minnesota Timberwolves, he’d still get plenty of media attention. He was a first-round pick and his championship performance with Duke will go down in history.
But in Minnesota, the attention is a whole different animal.
And Jones has handled it in stride. He doesn’t act like there’s any added pressure, which isn’t a surprise. Jones has the composure of someone much older than him. He’s one of those people that you feel comfortable following just because of his demeanor. He’s not letting expectations or his busy schedule affect him on the court.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Jones told Timberwolves.com in Las Vegas. “It’s been really busy, but truly it’s been a blessing. Everything I could have dreamed of and wanted to achieve, I’ve been achieving the past year, so it’s been unreal and just truly blessed. It’s an extreme honor and I’m just trying to work hard and hopefully new doors keep opening up.”
Minnesota fans should probably pump the brakes a bit with Jones. He’s not going to make the All-Star game this season and he’s going to go through the rookie bumps and bruises, which is completely normal. He said that when he arrived at Duke he struggled early and had his doubts. We all know how that ended. He’ll struggle early, as did guys like Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.
Summer League has shown us the good and the bad with Jones.
On Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, he struggled a bit to hang with LA point guards Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell. He finished with no points and was 0-for-4 from the field.
Not a great first impression, but ‘oh, well’ Jones thought.
He bounced back the next night against the Bulls. He started at point guard and finished with 14 points in 25 minutes and 22 seconds of play. He shot an efficient 4-of-8 from the field and was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also added three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
It was obvious what Jones was doing differently. He was simply playing within himself and the offense. He wasn’t forcing anything and was playing within the offense. We didn’t get to see that on Wednesday as he was in Los Angeles for the ESPYs, but Jones should give fans another look on Friday as the Wolves close out Summer League against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While Jones does have some extra pressure being from Minnesota, that doesn’t make him different than any other rookie in terms of improving.
“Personally, I just want to get better every day. A better point guard, a better leader on and off the court. Get to know my teammates and coaches better,” Jones said. “It’s just a different level. A lot of things are quicker. The windows are smaller. You just have to get adjusted to it and I know even you have to take your lumps…. I’m just trying to stay level-headed. Just trying to get used to everything and stay comfortable because I know there is an adjustment period, so it’s important as a point guard to know different scenarios in a game and different things like that, so that’s really what I’m trying to take away from Summer League.”