Tyus Jones’ lone season in Phoenix is easy to file away as a disappointment, but the current Suns roster looks like the kind of team that would have brought out the best in him.
That’s the twist here: Jones was asked to operate in a group built to score and score some more, then survive the consequences on the other end. He spent most of his minutes alongside Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic and Royce O'Neale, which meant his main responsibilities were simple in theory and tough in practice - protect the ball, set up teammates and avoid getting hunted.
He did enough of the first two jobs. The problem was always the last one.
The Suns could not really hide his size issues in that version of the roster. When Jones was on the floor, the surrounding cast left little room to protect him from opposing attacks. He started the third most games of any player, 58, outside of the superstar duo, and the lineups around him were built for offense first, defense later.
That’s why the present-day Suns feel so different. Collin Gillespie now gets the benefit of a roster with more defensive-minded pieces and real size, and that helped land him a new four-year, $48 million deal. He can still be targeted, but Phoenix now has options next to him, with Jordan Goodwin or Jamaree Bouyea able to share the floor with him or replace him altogether.
Jones also would have fit better beside Booker than current two-guard Jalen Green, whose presence would have made Jones’ life more difficult. Instead, it’s Gillespie in that spot now, and the Suns still remain in need of a true floor general. Jones was the last potentially great one they had.
The frontcourt is where the contrast really jumps off the page. Jones would have loved having an aggressive, high-energy partner there, and Dillon Brooks fits that description. Jones and Brooks have already logged the most professional games together as teammates, 254, from their Memphis days, so the chemistry angle is obvious.
Miles Bridges would have made sense too. He may not be a willing defender, but he can score off the kinds of passes Jones would have delivered, and that could have helped cover for some of Jones’ limitations. Then there are the big bodies, Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach, both of whom are clear upgrades over Nurkic.
So yes, the Suns have moved on from the Tyus Jones chapter. But in this version of the roster, he would have had a much easier time - and probably would have thrived.
In Other News...
Devin Booker Trade Talk Says Everything About The Suns Right Now
Devin Booker trade chatter tends to say as much about the Suns present situation as it does about Bookers future, and this latest round is no exception. Yossi Gozlan floated the Clippers as a possible destination down the line, pointing to their need for an older star and the kind of win-now profile that Booker would obviously fit if the conversation ever got serious.
For Phoenix, though, the more important reality is that the noise does not line up with the teams stance or its leverage. Bookers contract is a difficult one to move in the abstract, but the Suns have no real incentive to engage unless a deal truly changes their outlook, and the Clippers do not appear to have the kind of package that would push Phoenix in that direction. So while Bookers name will keep surfacing whenever star-hunting teams come up, this particular rumor feels more like a reminder of how central he remains to the franchise than a sign that anything is close. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Booker Just Got A Reminder Of How The League Sees Him
Devin Bookers place in the leagues pecking order got a small but noticeable nudge this preseason, with ESPN slotting the Suns guard 20th in its player rankings. It is the kind of reminder that can feel louder than the move itself, especially for a player who has long been judged not just on scoring, but on how he carries a team that now leans on him more heavily than it did a year ago.
Bookers profile last season came with more on his plate after the exits of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Chris Paul, and ESPNs evaluation folded in both his changing responsibilities and the dip in his efficiency. There is still the familiar sense of Booker as the Suns benchmark star, but the ranking conversation also reflects the reality that the league is weighing production, context and projection all at once, leaving his standing as much a talking point as a verdict. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Training Camp Just Put Several Rotation Spots In Play
Training camp is already shaping up as a real battleground for the Suns, with several players entering the mix for rotation minutes before the season even gets going. Jalen Green is expected to have a role, but nothing about his place feels locked in yet, and Jamaree Bouyea is among the players trying to make enough noise to carve out a spot on a crowded roster.
Ryan Dunn is also in the middle of that fight, getting a chance to show what he can do as Phoenix sorts through its options. The camp competition has only become more interesting because the Suns are dealing with a fresh opening that could shift how the frontcourt is managed, and that gives Dunn a path to playing time if he can take advantage of it. [Read more 🡒]