Tyus Jones has monster game in first D-League appearance
No NBA draft pick wants to get sent to the Development League, let alone a player who was chosen in the first round by his hometown team.
But with Tyus Jones struggling in limited action with the Timberwolves — who are committed to using Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine at Jones’ point guard spot while also having veteran Andre Miller to use as needed — Jones was shipped to the D-League in order to shake off rust, build his confidence and at a minimum just get him some game action.
How a player responds to such an assignment says plenty about his character and skill set, since there is plenty of talent in the D-League but also the potential for an “every guy for himself” mentality to creep in. Think of it like the NBA Summer League, only much longer and in places like Idaho instead of Vegas.
One game in, though, Jones seems to be handling things quite well. In his first appearance for the Idaho Stampede on Wednesday, Jones put up this line: 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds in 36 minutes.
You can check out highlights from the game right here.
As Timberwolves web editor Kyle Ratke notes (when he’s not too busy denying that a taco might be a sandwich), one of the cool things about the D League is you can watch games streamed live on YouTube.
Here’s the link to the livestream of Jones’ next game, which is Friday (tonight) at 8 p.m. against Bakersfield.