Apple Valley's Tyus Jones fitting well into larger role with Grizzlies

MEMPHIS – Tyus Jones insists that as the regular season was winding down, it didn't matter to him if the Timberwolves grabbed the No. 7 seed while Memphis was locked into the No. 2 seed.

"I didn't really care, to be honest," Jones said. "That wasn't in my control who the seven seed was. I wasn't trying to think about it too much. Obviously being from there, I get a chance to go back home. But it's the playoffs. We're locked in. Whoever our opponent was, it was going to be fine."

Jones, the Apple Valley native and former Wolves guard, will at least get a little extra time at home after Game 2 when the series shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. Jones is having a career year for the Grizzlies right in time for him to get a new contract this offseason.

He has set a career high in points at 8.7 per game and has shot a career-best 39% from three-point range. Not surprisingly, Jones also had the highest assist-to-turnover ratio of anyone who played more than half the season at 7.04.

One of the most important numbers Jones can point to in his upcoming contract negotiations is 20-5. That's the record Memphis was this season without All-Star point guard Ja Morant in the lineup. That's the record Memphis had when Jones was the primary starting point guard in Morant's place.

"He's just a great connector out there. I love the spirit, leadership he plays with, the way he moves the ball," Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. "He's improved defensively from the first two years we've been here. He's taken ownership there. I love how he's shooting the ball as well. Obviously when he's played a bigger role, he's filled those shoes brilliantly. He plays so well, plays great team basketball."

Jones had one of the best defensive ratings among regular Memphis rotation players at 105.5 points allowed per 100 possessions.

On offense, Jones will be working to help the Grizzlies generate more open looks from three-point range, something they didn't do as much as they would have liked in Game 1.

"It's just accepting what the defense is giving us," Jones said. "I think we were overthinking a lot on the offensive end where we feel like we're able to kind of get more corner threes and they'll be there if we just trust in the offense, trust what the defense is giving us and accept that."

As Jones spoke following shootaround Tuesday, ESPN was on a TV near him with a graphic that showed the words "Playoff Pressure," referring to the Wolves-Grizzlies series. This is Jones' third playoff series. He has always been a calm, collected player. That doesn't change in the postseason.

"It's becoming more normal," Jones said. "Just the experience in general, seeing the playoff atmosphere, the environment, the intensity level, things like that. It's good."

D'Angelo Russell got off to a slow start in the series with a 2-for-11 performance in Game 1. When asked what Memphis did to defend him, Russell said the Grizzlies worked hard to deny him the ball.

"I would say that first game was a high urgency of denying me the ball wherever you could, and it was as simple as that," Russell said.

Taurean Prince was the only player listed on the injury report because of right knee soreness, even though Prince played in Game 1 despite the injury. He again played in Game 2.