The Phoenix Suns have won three games in a row, and in doing so have quietened some of the negative noise that was reverberating through The Valley. They're still a long way from being the real deal - but in beating the teams they're supposed to and making some brave calls - they've steadied the ship.
Those brave calls in question would be bringing Bradley Beal off the bench, and keeping Jusuf Nurkic stuck to it entirely. Whether there's a ploy or not to get Beal to waive his no-trade clause by relegating him to the second unit or not, it has only seemed to have a positive impact on Beal to this point. With Nurkic, the Suns are simply better with Mason Plumlee and especially Oso Ighodaro on the court.
The team does have a growing Tyus Jones problem that needs fixing.
Which seems a ridiculous thing to say. Point guard Jones was not only the perfect offseason acquisition for the franchise, we named him as the fourth best player for the organization in 2024. Heady praise for a guy who only joined in the offseason, and who could have gotten a lot more money to play elsewhere.
For much of this season the team has had so many other pressing issues, that the fact Jones was a negative defender got buried. But with the Beal and Nurkic situations having been somewhat resolved - and the Jimmy Butler chatter dying down as no deal comes together - attention now turns to the drawbacks of having Jones out there. They can be painfully notable.
The Suns currently sit an unacceptable 22nd in defensive rating so far this season, at 115.1. When Jones is out there that number holds firm at 115.2 - and while it is unfair to place this ugly number squarely on his shoulders - it is no secret that opponents are targeting him. It was interesting to see head coach Mike Budenholzer pull Jones for much of the recent win over the Charlotte Hornets.
"Brad has been dynamic and athletic on both ends. Brad's defense has stood out, guarding some different guys. Tyus has been good for us. We're going to need Tyus, but tonight we went in a different direction." Suns coach Mike Budenholzer on Tyus Jones reduced minutes. #Suns pic.twitter.com/o73jEEnuTF
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 13, 2025
Whereas he's averaged 30.2 minutes of action so far this season - and started in all 37 games in which he has appeared - Jones was reduced to only 18 minutes of action in this one. Only Mason Plumlee (15) and Grayson Allen (13) had less, as coach Budenholzer tweaked his rotations so that Jones wasn't getting picked on quite as often.
With Beal no longer with the starting group and Ryan Dunn now out there more, the need for Jones may have decreased as well. We're seeing less of Beal and Devin Booker playing together, with both now looking more comfortable with the ball in hand. It might not quite be time to revive the point Booker experiment, but he led the way with eight assists in that game.
Jones is excellent at settling the team down early and getting them into their sets, a skill that was painfully lacking last season. Yet for all his ability to look after the basketball the Suns still turn the ball over 13.9 times per game. Yes that's good for 10th in the league - but with the team not elite in any other areas and Jones himself great at taking care of the ball - should we expect more?
Even if that also seems harsh to blame entirely on the point guard, there is no doubt this is a situation that coach Budenholzer is now paying closer attention to. It may just be that Jones - despite being loved by fans for bringing so much of what was missing last season - will be a casualty of the re-jigged rotation. With Dunn and Plumlee/Ighodaro in, the needs of the starting group are changing.
Besides, Jones has come off the bench to great effect throughout his career, so it may be that this ends up being his best spot in Phoenix as well. He's also shooting 42 percent from deep on 5.1 attempts per game - both career highs - so it is not like he's a negative out there. If the Suns are to be improved defensively though, playing him less looks like the solution.