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The Phoenix Suns made an offseason splash when they signed point guard Tyus Jones to a veteran’s minimum contract. Among those excited about it is Kevin Durant, who explained why he’s looking forward to playing with Jones.
“Yeah, very excited about Tyus. Somebody that’s a veteran presence that’s going to help us out in many different ways. Being able to control the team, being able to knock down shots, and score the ball as well, so I’m excited,” Durant said, per the Suns’ X account.
The Suns have shored up on point guard depth during the 2024 NBA Offseason. Besides adding Jones, they have also added Monte Morris. Not having a point guard hurt the Suns’ playmaking, as they depended on Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker to carry that load.
Jones started for the Washington Wizards during the 2023-24 season, averaging career-highs in points (12), assists (7.3), and rebounds (2.7) a game. He also averaged a career-high in shooting from the field (48.9%) and from three (41.4%). Jones played for one of the worst NBA teams, but he was efficient in his role for them.
Playing next to Durant, Beal, and Booker, they could make each other’s lives easier.
Tyus Jones Believes He Can Make Kevin Durant’s Life Easier
During his introductory press conference, Jones told reporters how he thinks he can fit next to Durant and the other Suns’ stars.
“(I’m) just trying to make their lives easier. I know they have a lot on their plate when it comes to scoring the ball, leading, showing up every night, and everyone following their lead, so I’m just trying to make their life easy,” Jones said, per Young’s X account.
Jones acknowledged that while the Suns tried admirably to run the offense without a point guard, but explains how they benefit from his presence.
“Last year, I know Book and Brad had to do a lot of playing (point), orchestrating the offense. The fact is they can do that, but what they really do is put the ball in the basket. So, I know it’s up to me to put them in the right spots. Put KD in the right spots, put Book in the right spots, put Brad in the right spots, everybody orchestrating and set the table. They’re ultimately going to make my job very easy. I’m looking forward to it.”
From Jones’ and Durant’s words, there is a mutual understanding of how the Suns and Jones will benefit from each other.
Kevin Durant & Tyus Jones Expected to Start Together
Arizona Sports radio host John Gombadoro reported that Jones will start at point guard. This means the Suns will have a starting lineup of Jones, Beal, Booker, Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic. Beal and Booker are natural shooting guards, so they will have to adjust to playing as undersized wings.
The Suns first experimented with Beal and Booker running the point as oversized point guards. While they were a playoff team, it was clear that they needed more help in the playmaking department. Now, they are going to play smaller. The question will be whether this new experiment will be better, and if it is, how much better?
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