Dallas Mavericks fans were ecstatic when the team traded for Tyus Jones on the day of the trade deadline last week. He has been an efficient floor general who can start or come off the bench for years now, but he is no longer the same player he once was.
They needed a point guard badly, as they only had Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams to hold down this spot after trading D'Angelo Russell and Jaden Hardy last week. This was not a great spot to be in, even if the Mavericks aren't pushing for the playoffs by any means, and they brought in Jones to steady the ship and give them some depth.
Dallas was able to dump Malaki Branham (who was included in the initial Anthony Davis trade) as part of this deal for a player who immediately filled a hole in the backcourt in Jones. Still, his road to becoming a long-term Maverick is far from a cakewalk.
Tyus Jones' dreadful season can't escape him — even in Dallas
He is in the middle of the worst season of his career, averaging just 3.0 points and 2.5 assists per game while playing under 16 minutes per game, and even though the Mavs' point guard spot is undermanned with Kyrie Irving out, it doesn't mean that Jones is going to be a long-term fix.
It's hard to fully determine what Jones' future in Dallas is going to look like, as he has only played in two games as a Maverick, but his start thus far hasn't been extremely convincing.
He started his Mavs career off with a bang against the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with four points, seven assists, and zero turnovers while shooting 50 percent from the field, but his second game was a harsh reality check that fans should've known was coming.
Against the Phoenix Suns, Jones scored just two points in 15 minutes while shooting 1-4 from the field. He also had two rebounds, three assists, and one steal, which isn't an awful stat line, but Jason Kidd started him in this game before only playing him five minutes in the second half.
This is likely due to Dallas looking much better with him off the floor, as they were a -17 during his minutes in the first half. Kidd is never afraid to experiment, but this experiment with Jones as his starter failed quickly.
He didn't touch the floor for the entire third quarter before playing five minutes in the fourth, and the Mavs have bigger priorities on their hands ahead of re-signing Jones this summer. Dallas should be commended for buying low on him, but as everyone knows, undersized guards that can produce consistently are extremely hard to find in the NBA.
On top of this, the Mavericks already have a small guard on their team who is going to be part of their future in Ryan Nembhard. They don't have the roster space to keep both Nembhard and Jones for the extended future, and Jones' once-hyped move to the Mavericks may end before it even fully begins.