The Phoenix Suns had made several efforts to address their point guard deficiencies prior to acquiring Tyus Jones.
The team signed veteran free agent Monte Morris and added Collin Gillespie to a two-way contract this summer, but signing Jones to a one-year, $3.3 million deal gives them a true point guard who is coming off the best year of his career with the Washington Wizards. Jones has a high assist-to-turnover ratio, can shoot 3-pointers and has been a valuable part of a playoff team.
The Arizona Republic confirmed the additions on Saturday with a source. ESPN first reported the deal. The Suns added former Wizards assistant James Posey to Mike Budenholzer's coaching staff earlier this week.
The 28-year-old Jones, in his ninth season after graduating from Duke University, played in 66 games (all as a starter) for the Wizards last season, averaging 12 points, shooting 48.9% from the field, 7.3 assists and only one turnover, while shooting 41.4% from three-point range, a career-best.
Jones is a starting NBA point guard who was unavailable for the Suns last season but was needed. A source told The Republic that the 6-foot-1, 196-pound Jones has good judgment, ball safety and vision.
Considering the Suns are ranked 25thNumber After finishing last in turnovers and the worst team in the NBA in the fourth quarter last season, they need someone who can protect the ball and get involved in the offense late in close games.
The move alone would make the Suns a 50-win team capable of challenging for the top four in the Western Conference — Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Dallas and Denver. The Suns have long expressed interest in Jones, but the move also raises some questions.
First, can Jones start on a team with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal?
That's true, according to what new Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer told Jones, per ESPN.
What the Suns will look like if Jones starts
“Coach showed me how big of an impact I could have as the starting point guard on a team that has a real chance to challenge for an NBA title,” Jones said in a tweet via ESPN.
If Jones starts, Beal will play shooting guard, Booker will play small forward, Durant will play power forward and Jusuf Nurkic will play as the No. 5. The NBA is position-less, but this means the backcourt is smaller and Booker, who is normally a No. 2, will have to guard a bigger player at No. 3.
That starting unit also lacks a true lockdown perimeter defender, so Durant, who will be 36 by the time the 2024-25 season begins, will once again be the team's best starting defender.
Offensively, this could be something special with Jones setting up guys to take shots and not having to constantly create opportunities for Booker, Durant and Beal. Budenholzer is an offensive coach. They could definitely do well in that regard.
Defense is a concern, a big concern.
Teams will switch on defense, but some will look to match up.
The Suns can't create big leaks in their perimeter defense because Nurkic, who is neither a shot blocker nor a rim protector, will be guarding the middle.
Jones is accustomed to starting in a three-guard configuration on a playoff team.
Jones' experience in similar roles
The Memphis Grizzlies faced eventual NBA champion Golden State in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals and started Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane and Jones with Ja Morant out with an injury.
NBA.com lists Brooks at 6'6″ and Bane at 6'5″.
The Suns' Booker is 6-foot-4, Beal is 6-foot-3 and Jones is 6-foot-1. They're a bit smaller than Brooks and Bane and don't have Brooks' crazy mentality to guard the other team's top perimeter attacker.
The Grizzlies will have Jaren Jackson Jr., who won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, wearing the number 4 and Human Wall Steven Adams wearing the number 5 for the 2022-23 season.
That's why Royce O'Neale would be an ideal starter, as he's 6'11 and a proven defender.
This leads to the second question:
Let's say the Suns start Jones and O'Neal, but what happens when they bring in Beal off the bench, who is in the middle of a five-year, $251 million contract with the Wizards?
Let the thought sink in for a minute or two.
The first step will be convincing Beal that this is the best move for the team. The Suns could show him how Jamal Crawford became a leading scorer and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Seeing Beal in full scoring mode against the second unit is a bit like having Bobby Portis come off the bench for the Bucks when Budenholzer was in Milwaukee.
What Beal brings from the bench
The only difference is that Beal is the more proven scorer and is coming off a career-best year shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. With Booker and Durant on the court and playing alongside a true point guard like Jones or Morris, Beal could have plenty of wide opportunities to take even hotter shots from distance this season.
It worked out well for Portis and the Bucks — just as they did well to win the 2021 NBA championship.
Picture this second unit: Mason Plumlee, Bol Bol, Morris, Beal and Allen. Jones and Allen won a national championship together as freshmen at Duke in the 2014-15 season.
The Suns have floor commanders in Morris, who has had good chemistry with Plumlee since their time in Denver, shooting guard Beal, Allen, who can stretch the floor from three-point range, and talented wild card Bol Bol.
The Suns staggered their rotation last season under coach Frank Vogel, trying to get at least one, and preferably two, of their big three on the court, and Budenholzer will likely follow that same scenario to some extent, but having a true second unit would be beneficial.
Whatever decisions the Suns make regarding their starting lineup and rotation, signing Jones is a clear signal that they aren't trying to repeat last season without a true point guard.
They tried to share facilitator duties, but the Suns were turnover-prone and awful in the fourth quarter, even with Booker, Durant and Beal.
Beal tried to fill that role later in the season, and while he played well at times in that role, he still struggled in his first season with Phoenix, committing five of his six turnovers in the fourth quarter in a Game 4 loss to Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.
The Suns are over the second tax apron and can only get Jones on a veteran-minimum contract, so now is Jones' chance to have a big year with hopes of getting paid next season.
This is a way for the Suns to offset roster constraints.
Jones' motivations for playing in Phoenix
They're selling players on the opportunity to play alongside great players like Booker and Durant, join a team expected to win championships and potentially earn bigger financial rewards down the line, even with another team.
This gives Jones multiple incentives to perform. The move further demonstrates that team owner Matt Ishbia is always striving to improve his team. The Suns currently have 16 players on their standard roster.
They have to get down to 15 players before the start of the regular season, but EJ Liddell is likely to be missing. Phoenix traded David Roddy to Atlanta to acquire Liddell.
Have thoughts on the current state of the Suns? Contact Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or 480-810-5518. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter). Duane Rankin.
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