Cavs’ potential Tyus Jones FA signing would make so much sense

Jones is a very reliable backup PG

This season, Jones had 8.7 points and 4.4 assists in 21.2 minutes per contest, and in past two seasons prior, had 3.7 and 4.4 assists per game for Memphis. Before that, Jones had 6.9 points and 4.8 assists per game in his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and in first season with them as a regular rotation guy, had 5.1 points and 2.8 assists per outing.

Jones’ skill set would help the Cavaliers when it comes to primary playmaking depth, as he’s a player that is a sensible ball-mover that does a nice job of getting shooters involved, and his pick-and-roll play has really taken strides. He’d likely work well in stretches with Jarrett Allen in that area, for example.

With Jones, he’d provide stability at the backup 1 spot for stretches as a functional ball-mover and playmaking presence, and in non-Darius Garland minutes, that could be a lift for Cleveland, and I personally believe he could play in some spots alongside Garland or Collin Sexton/Isaac Okoro. The same could apply with Caris LeVert, if LeVert sticks around.

Jones is not going to wow anybody with athleticism or flash, but he’s a polished ball-mover that initiates things well, and keeps guys involved. I also don’t discount how he’s such a low-turnover player. Jones has had just 0.7 turnovers per game for his career, and has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio each of the past four seasons.

Additionally, Jones is a more than capable mid-range shooter, and while he’s not a high volume three-point shooter, he’s competent in catch-and-shoot scenarios, and can create for himself via floaters and on some drives. Regarding the deep shooting, he did hit 39.0 percent in 2021-22, albeit on 2.8 attempts. Over the past four seasons with Memphis, for further context, he shot 36.7 percent on 2.3 attempts in 19.2 minutes per game.

Now, I’m not going to say that Jones is a high-volume shot creator or anything, however, with the opportunities, he’s fine in the scoring sense and has improved as a catch-and-shoot player in recent seasons.