NBA99: Which Washington Wizards made the grade?

On Monday, The Step Back released the NBA99, a comprehensive list ranking the league's top 99 players. Produced by Ian Levy, the NBA99 will be updated regularly. The current rankings can be found here.

The list includes a summary of each player's role on offense and defense and a brief explanation of why each player has earned their spot among the league's best. According to The Step Back, the rankings were built by a panel of staffers and contributors at FanSided, evaluating the league's power structure based on a blended assessment of players' current and future value.

Which Washington Wizards made the NBA99?

At launch, the NBA99 features just one player from the Washington Wizards: Tyus Jones.

The Step Back ranked the 27-year-old Wizards guard in the list's fifth tier, falling in as the 92nd-best player in the NBA. The fifth tier includes 27 players, beginning with Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. at 99 and Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart at 73.

This season, Jones appeared in 66 games for Washington before suffering a back injury that held him out of play for the season's final month. However, before his injury, Jones averaged 12 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting a career-best 41.4 percent from three-point range. In his player summary, The Step Back describes Tyus as one of the most intelligent players in the NBA, citing his assist-to-turnover ratio and efficient scoring ability.

According to a recent report from Ava Wallace of the Washington Post, Jones said he would like to remain in the District with the Wizards during his exit interview this week. The eight-year NBA veteran played this season under the final year of a two-year, $29 million contract he signed with Memphis in 2022.

Although Jones has made his intentions to remain with the Wizards clear, it remains to be seen if the team has similar plans. After Jordan Poole's strong second half in Jones' absence, team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins have a difficult decision ahead of them.