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Tyus Jones: Drafted 24th Overall; Traded to Timberwolves

Jones was selected by the Cavaliers with the 24th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and subsequently traded to the Timberwolves in exchange for the 31st and 36th overall picks.

Analysis:

Jones has the intelligence and pure point guard traits that make it easy to overlook the fact that he was a DH last year at Duke. It was a workable setup when a player like Justise Winslow was tormenting the other team's best perimeter scorer, but when Jones finds himself on guys like Russell Westbrook or Kyrie Irving in a pick-n-roll, he'll be toast. Still, in fantasy, this is a guy who could offer eight-plus assists per night and a couple treys per game while shooting close to 90 percent from the free-throw line if he finds himself in the right situation. The thing that stands out most about Jones is that he was at his best in Duke's biggest games against the NCAA's best competition. In five games against National Title runner-up Wisconsin (twice), ACC archrival North Carolina (twice), and fellow ACC one seed Virginia (once), the 6-foot-2 point guard averaged 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while sharing the floor with a pair of top-10 picks in Winslow and Jahlil Okafor. He can handle playing against the best and playing with the best. Jones likely won't shoot for a high percentage from the floor, and he won't offer above-average production in steals for his position, but his distributing, three-point shooting, and free-throw shooting should all be assets to fantasy teams as long as Jones is seeing sufficient playing time. In Minnesota, Jones, a Minneapolis-area native, figures to slot in as the primary backup to Ricky Rubio. His selection likely means Zach LaVine will spend more time off the ball next season after being forced to fill in for Rubio, who missed significant time with an ankle injury.

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