Timberwolves rookie and Apple Valley, Minnesota, native Tyus Jones is off and running in the NBA Developmental League.
The 19-year-old point guard finished with 27 points (11-22 shooting), 8 assists and 6 rebounds in his first game with the Idaho Stampede on Wednesday night.
Jones was sent to the D-League so he could improve by playing, rather than sitting on the bench in a suit as Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Andre Miller take the available minutes on the Wolves’ roster.
“No NBA player wants to go to the D-League,” head coach Sam Mitchell said this week, via the Star Tribune. “But you’re not going because you’ve done anything wrong. You’re going so you can get better. And [what] he’s going to realize after about five minutes there is that guards in that league go at you. This is going to be really good for Tyus.”
“Obviously, you want to be in the NBA,” Jones told the Idaho Stateman. “But sometimes it’s best for you to come down and get some minutes and make sure you’re staying in game shape. For me, that’s how I’m looking at it. … When you’re a competitor, you want to play.”
It’s unclear how long Jones will remain in the D-League.
