At the beginning of the season, point guard Tyus Jones found himself as the team’s third point guard behind Ricky Rubio and Kris Dunn.
Throughout training camp, Jones explained the importance of staying ready for any opportunity. Head coach Tom Thibodeau preached “everyone has to be ready to play” but those are just things that players and coaches have to say, right?
There are reasons those things are said.
Just two games into the season, that became a reality as Rubio sprained his right elbow against the Sacramento Kings
That meant Dunn would become the team’s starter until Rubio returned, and we found out in the first game that Jones would be the backup.
And did Jones ever rise to the occasion.
He played so well that he played 30-plus minutes in back to-back games on the road against Brooklyn and Orlando. Against the Nets, he finished with 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. In the win over Orlando, he finished with 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
“You always want to make the most of any opportunity you get in life and for myself just trying to help contribute to this team as much as possible. Just want to see us win,” Jones said.
Jones played so well during Rubio's absence that when the Spanish point guard returned, Jones still got some minutes. On Saturday against the Clippers, Jones played eight minutes and promptly nailed two 3-pointers and finished with eight points, two rebounds and an assist. In Sunday’s win over the Lakers, Jones played nearly 17 minutes and finished with three points and five assists.
For Jones, is there pressure for him to keep a spot in the rotation?
“No, you can’t look at it as pressure,” Jones said. “You have to look at it as trying to help the team any way you can and that’s really what I’m focused on.”
Seems like something a national champion might say.
On the season, Jones is averaging 6.1 points, 4.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. The next test for Jones and the Wolves will be on Tuesday as the Wolves host the red-hot Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will air on Fox Sports North and WCCO-830 AM.