Men's basketball

Representing the United States
FIBA Americas U18 Championship
Gold	2014 United States	National team
FIBA World U17 Championship
Gold	2012 Lithuania	National team
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Gold	2011 Mexico	National team

Tyus Robert Jones (born May 10, 1996) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a point guard for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Tyus is the older brother of fellow NBA player Tre Jones.

Tyus started his NBA career with his hometown team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played there for four seasons. Later, he joined the Memphis Grizzlies and then the Washington Wizards. In college, he played for the Duke Blue Devils. He was part of the team that won the National Championship in 2015.

Tyus was one of the top high school players in the country. He won many awards, including Minnesota Mr. Basketball. He also played in major all-star games like the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. At Duke, he was named the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Final Four. After his college success, he entered the 2015 NBA draft. He was picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers and then traded to the Timberwolves. Tyus is known for his amazing assist-to-turnover ratio, setting NBA records for how well he passes the ball without making mistakes.

High School Basketball Journey

Tyus Jones started playing varsity basketball for Apple Valley High School when he was just in eighth grade. He quickly became a key player, averaging 16.8 points and 8.1 assists per game. At only 13 years old, he received his first recruiting letter from a college team!

Early High School Success

As a freshman, Tyus got his first scholarship offer from the University of Iowa. Even after missing seven weeks due to an injury, he averaged over 20 points and 7 assists per game. His talent led to invitations to special skills camps hosted by NBA stars LeBron James and Chris Paul.

Tyus also joined USA Basketball and played for the U16 team. They won the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. By the end of his freshman year, many top colleges wanted him to play for them.

Sophomore Season Highlights

In his sophomore year, Tyus was named Minnesota Associated Press Player of the Year. He averaged 28 points and 8 assists per game. He also won the Minnesota Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year award.

After this successful season, Tyus played for Team USA again. They competed in the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Lithuania and won gold without losing a single game.

Junior Year Achievements

Tyus began his junior season as one of the top-ranked high school basketball players in the nation. He led Apple Valley to win the Minnesota State Class 4A championship. He shared the Minnesota Associated Press Player of the Year award.

He also won his second Minnesota Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year award. By this time, Tyus had many top college offers. He and fellow top player Jahlil Okafor even talked about going to college together.

Senior Season and College Choice

In his senior year, Tyus continued to impress. He was a co-MVP in a major all-star game. He decided to visit several top schools, including Baylor, Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke.

On November 15, 2013, Tyus announced his commitment to Duke University. He chose Duke along with Jahlil Okafor, making a big splash in college basketball recruiting. Later, Justise Winslow and Grayson Allen also committed to Duke, forming a super team of recruits.

Tyus had a great senior season, even though his team lost in the state championship. He showed off his skills in national all-star games. He won the skills competition at the McDonald's All-American Game. He also had a "double-double" (scoring 10 points and 12 assists) in the Jordan Brand Classic.

High School Awards and Recognition

Tyus received many honors during his high school career:

Selected for the Nike Hoop Summit and 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.
Named Associated Press Co-Player of the Year.
Won Minnesota Mr. Basketball award.
Earned his third straight Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year Award.
Chosen for the USA Today second team All-USA Boys Basketball Team.

College Basketball Career

Jones meeting President Barack Obama with Duke teammates in 2015

When Tyus started his freshman year at Duke, everyone expected him to be the starting point guard. He was named to several preseason All-American teams.

Tyus quickly showed his talent. In his first game, he scored 15 points and had 7 assists. He had a "double-double" (16 points, 10 assists) against Army. He led Duke to a big win over #2 ranked Wisconsin, scoring 22 points. For this, he won the ACC Rookie of the Week award.

He tied his career high with 22 points twice more in January. In a big rivalry game against North Carolina, he scored 22 points, had 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. He scored Duke's last nine points in regular time to force overtime!

After the season, Tyus was named to the All-ACC third team. He was also an honorable mention All-American. The biggest moment came when he helped Duke win the National Championship. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, scoring 23 points in the championship game.

After winning the national title, Tyus decided to enter the 2015 NBA draft. He gave up his remaining college years to pursue his dream.

Professional Basketball Journey

Minnesota Timberwolves (2015–2019)

Jones during the 2015 NBA Summer League

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked Tyus with the 24th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. But they immediately traded him to his hometown team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. He signed his first NBA contract on July 7, 2015.

Tyus made his NBA debut on November 10, 2015. He later spent some time playing for the Idaho Stampede in the D-League (now G-League) to get more playing time. He was called back to the Timberwolves in December.

Jones with the Timberwolves in 2016

In 2016, Tyus was named the MVP of the NBA Summer League. He continued to improve with the Timberwolves. In November 2016, he had career highs with 12 points and 5 steals. In April 2017, he set a career high with 16 assists in a game.

During the 2017–18 season, Tyus got more opportunities to play. He had a career-high 7 steals in his first NBA start. On December 17, 2018, he recorded his first "double-double" with 10 points and 10 assists. He finished the 2018–19 season with an NBA record for the best assist-to-turnover ratio (6.96). This means he made almost 7 assists for every turnover he had, which is incredibly good!

Memphis Grizzlies (2019–2023)

On July 11, 2019, Tyus signed a three-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. He continued his amazing streak, leading the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.

On February 1, 2021, he set a new career high with 14 assists. In the 2021–22 season, he broke his own assist-to-turnover record with a ratio of 7.04. When the Grizzlies' star player Ja Morant was out, Tyus stepped up. He started 23 games and helped the team win 20 of those 25 games.

In July 2022, Tyus re-signed with the Grizzlies. On March 17, 2023, he achieved his first NBA "triple-double" (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in a game against his brother Tre's team, the San Antonio Spurs. He led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for a fifth year in a row!

Washington Wizards (2023–2024)

On June 22, 2023, Tyus was traded to the Washington Wizards as part of a big three-team trade. He continued to shine, recording his second career triple-double on December 15. On February 27, 2024, he set a new career high with 17 assists. For the first time, he was a full-time starter and still led the league with an incredible 7.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Phoenix Suns (2024–present)

On July 30, 2024, Tyus signed with the Phoenix Suns. He chose the Suns because he wanted to play for a team that could compete for a championship, even though he might have gotten more money elsewhere. In his first game with the Suns, he had 8 assists with zero turnovers, showing his excellent ball-handling skills right away.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2015–16	Minnesota	37	0	15.5	.359	.302	.718	1.3	2.9	.8	.1	4.2
2016–17	Minnesota	60	0	12.9	.414	.356	.767	1.1	2.6	.8	.1	3.5
2017–18	Minnesota	82*	11	17.9	.457	.349	.877	1.6	2.8	1.2	.1	5.1
2018–19	Minnesota	68	23	22.9	.415	.317	.841	2.0	4.8	1.2	.1	6.9
2019–20	Memphis	65	6	19.0	.459	.379	.741	1.6	4.4	.9	.1	7.4
2020–21	Memphis	70	9	17.5	.431	.321	.911	2.0	3.7	.9	.1	6.3
2021–22	Memphis	73	23	21.2	.451	.390	.818	2.4	4.4	.9	.0	8.7
2022–23	Memphis	80	22	24.2	.438	.371	.800	2.5	5.2	1.0	.1	10.3
2023–24	Washington	66	66	29.3	.489	.414	.800	2.7	7.3	1.1	.3	12.0
Career		601	160	20.4	.445	.367	.813	2.0	4.3	1.0	.1	7.4

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018	Minnesota	4	0	13.8	.286	.000	—	2.3	2.0	.3	.0	1.0
2021	Memphis	5	0	9.4	.353	.250	1.000	1.4	1.2	.2	.0	3.0
2022	Memphis	12	3	21.8	.394	.400	.933	3.3	4.5	1.2	.2	9.2
2023	Memphis	6	1	20.0	.306	.158	.667	3.0	3.7	1.3	.0	4.5
Career		27	4	17.9	.365	.314	.900	2.7	3.3	.9	.1	5.8

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2014–15	Duke	39	39	33.9	.417	.379	.889	3.5	5.6	1.5	.1	11.8

International Play

Tyus has proudly represented USA Basketball on the world stage. He helped Team USA win gold medals at the 2011 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship and the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship. In both tournaments, he was a key player, leading the team in assists.

In 2014, Tyus was chosen to be part of the USA national team for the 2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. He served as a team captain, and the United States won another gold medal.

About Tyus Jones

Tyus comes from a family of basketball players. His parents, Rob and Debbie, both played basketball. His mother was a point guard who led her high school team to a championship. His father played college basketball.

Tyus has three brothers. His younger brother, Tre Jones, also plays in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs. His half-brothers, Jadee Jones and Reggie Bunch, also played college basketball. Tyus's aunt and uncle were also successful basketball players.

Tyus was named after another famous basketball player, Tyus Edney. Growing up, Tyus was also good at other sports like football (as a quarterback) and baseball (as a pitcher and shortstop). He has been friends with fellow NBA player Jahlil Okafor since they were 8 years old.

Tyus is engaged to Carrie Yeakey, and they have a son named Tyus Jr., born in 2020.

Tyus Jones facts for kids

Contents