The Grizzlies saw their championship hopes flash before their eyes when superstar guard Ja Morant re-injured his right hand in Memphis' loss to the Lakers in Game 1.
Morant was already wearing a wrap on his hand from an injury suffered at the end of the season. With just under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies trailing by four points, Morant attacked Anthony Davis in the paint, landing awkwardly on his right hand.
He left the game immediately and did not return as the Lakers rattled off a 23-11 run to steal Game 1 on the road.
Morant's hand has not progressed to the point that he is ready to take the floor, being ruled out for Game 2.
While losing one of the most electrifying players in the league is undoubtedly a blow to the Grizzlies, it helps that they have a steadying hand in Tyus Jones — the best backup point guard in the NBA.
Jones is no stranger to the interim starter role, stepping up several times over the last two seasons when Morant was out of the lineup. But what makes Jones so good when Memphis needs him most?
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Tyus Jones offers steadying hand as Ja Morant's injury replacement
Jones is as reliable as they come for reserve guards in the NBA. The 26-year-old has played a total of 557 games (regular season and playoffs) in his career, but he has started in fewer than 100 of them.
And yet, in any instance where he has been asked to fill in as a starter, Jones has delivered every single time.
Take the 2022-23 regular season for example. There were a few games where the Grizzlies relied on Jones to step into the starting lineup, but no stretch was bigger than the nine games in which Morant was away from the team as he dealt with an off-court situation.
Jones almost made Morant's absence feel obsolete, averaging 16.3 points, 8.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 turnovers on .509/.400/.789 shooting splits. He recorded three points-assists double-doubles and had his first-career triple-double, leading Memphis to a 7-2 record.
That is the standard Jones has set for himself, tapping into another level any time his number has been called.
| GP | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | SPG | TOV | Shooting splits | |
| Starter | 22 | 33.2 | 16.4 | 8.1 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 1.6 | .500/.415/.778 |
| Reserve | 58 | 20.8 | 8.0 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 | .397/.350/.818 |
Part of what makes Jones so trustworthy as a floor general is his calming presence as a decision-maker. You can't speed him up and it feels like he only knows how to make the right read. The stats back up that notion, as Jones has led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for the last five seasons. And yes, you read that correctly.
‼️ The same player has led the NBA in A/TO ratio each of the past 5 seasons ‼️ 👀👀👀👀👀
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 16, 2023
👊💪 @1Tyus #DukeintheNBA pic.twitter.com/RD9kbzEUn0
Over his eight-year career, Jones has never averaged over one turnover per game in a season despite dishing out 3.9 assists. It's stats like that and his known poise in big moments that rewarded him with the nickname "Tyus Stones" back in college.
Losing Morant's game-breaking ability could never be seen as a positive, but having arguably the best backup in the league should give Grizzlies fans a sigh of relief until the superstar guard returns to full strength.
Grizzlies record without Ja Morant
Over the last two seasons, Morant has missed a chunk of time due to various reasons. In 2021-22, he was absent for 25 games due to knee and back injuries. He also missed Memphis' final three playoff games due to a knee injury. In 2022-23, he missed 21 games due to a mix of injuries and his suspension for off-court activity.
In 2021-22, the Grizzlies went 21-7 (including playoffs) without Morant. In 2022-23, Memphis struggled much more without its star, going 11-10.
That gives the Grizzlies a 32-17 record without Morant over the last two seasons, which is impressive considering the impact the electrifying guard has on the game.
