Ever since James Harden torched his relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers, the roster has been longing for a natural ball facilitator. Tyrese Maxey has shouldered much of this burden at an impressive pace, but the team is a more devastating team when scoring is his top priority. While their acquisition of Cameron Payne added depth to the roster, it failed to fully solve their playmaking woes, and now that Tyus Jones is available, the front office’s decision is coming under renewed scrutiny.
On the surface, Payne’s addition to the Sixers roster made a lot of sense. After Jared McCain was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, backcourt options were scarce and the free agency market didn’t yield much of anything attractive. The front office had to get more creative, which led to Philadelphia acquiring the veteran out of his contract with Partizan Belgrade and rounding out their 15-man roster.
Cam Payne does provide Philadelphia with much-needed goals off the bench, albeit with inconsistent scoring. Plus, this is a player who has played in a system alongside Joel Embiid in the past, making the transition to this group of players more seamless – well, that was the theory behind the decision.
Payne’s inefficiency only strengthens the case for Jones
The 31-year-old’s performances have done little to deter this from being a good signing for Daryl Morey. Payne averaged 3.2 points, one rebound and two assists while shooting just 25% from the floor.
Hindsight is a beautiful creation. Especially in the sports world, and even more so when the discussion centers on a player who wasn’t available when the original trade for Payne took place. Nevertheless, Tyus Jones’ attributes would have added something to the 76ers’ offense that they so desperately crave: versatility.
A trio of Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes brings the scoring punch needed to make an assault on the championship. Despite Maxey’s high level of playmaking, this is a group of players not known for their ball facilitation. Adding Jones to this formula of goalscorers would open up a new realm of attacking possibilities.
Tyus Jones would be a perfect fit in Philadelphia
First off, this signing would make sense as the former Mavericks guard has become accustomed to making an impact off the bench. Over his career, Jones has averaged 4.2 assists and 0.8 turnovers per game.
His biggest impact off the bench came during the 2022-23 season with the Memphis Grizzlies, where the 29-year-old recorded 10.3 points and 5.2 assists per game. This impressive stretch earned him a starting role with the Washington Wizards the following year, ending in career-high numbers for the guard. The savvy playmaker collected 12 points and 7.3 assists per game.
When comparing the two guards, stats and performance would indicate that Tyus Jones would be more beneficial to the needs that the Philadelphia 76ers have in the here and now. Cameron Payne has the experience to make an occasional scoring impact off the bench, but recent moments in his career suggest that won’t happen consistently.
Once again, the Philadelphia fanbase will wonder if Daryl Morey’s creativity and ambition will continue to hinder the franchise’s ability to reach its true potential.
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