Former Suns point guard joins fierce rivals

There is no doubt the Phoenix Suns got significantly better at the point guard position this offseason. The addition of Monte Morris was nice, but Tyus Jones feels like the kind of steal that can raise the ceiling for this group.

Not content with these two veterans - despite not really having anywhere to put them - the Suns also shored up the back end of their roster by adding both Collin Sexton and TyTy Washington. The pair more likely to feature for the organization's new G League affiliate than anywhere else next season.

The Suns did one point guard on their roster last season - sort of - and he's now jumped ship to the Los Angeles Lakers.

That would be Jordan Goodwin, who came over with Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards in the Chris Paul deal, but who ended the season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He showed glimpses there, starting 12-of-17 games played and managing 10 points and 4.5 assists in the process. Enough to get the Lakers to commit to a training camp deal for the player.

Not that fans saw that form in The Valley. Despite not having a traditional point guard - and with the perfect opportunity to take that role for himself - Goodwin didn't do much of anything in 40 games with the franchise. Zero starts, which is only surprising because Beal was limited to 53 games through injury and so was not hogging a ton of minutes for himself.

In the 14 minutes he appeared in those games he managed five points and two assists. Even more surprising - and not in a good way - he somehow pulled down more rebounds each night (2.9) than he did dish out dimes to his teammates. Which is great because it shows a level of effort and hustle, but is unacceptable when you've got Devin Booker and Kevin Durant to tee up nightly.

There's no doubt that the Suns are in a better spot now with Jones - and even Morris from time-to-time - running the show. Jones replaced Goodwin in Washington and managed to put up 12 points and over seven assists per game as a starter, despite being known as perhaps the best backup in the league. A feat he achieved in Memphis, which is where Goodwin has rehabbed his reputation some.

The two players have several links then, but there's no doubt the Suns got the better end of the bargain in getting Jones to The Valley. The Lakers meanwhile will see if there's anything they can get out of a 25-year-old with good size for the position and a desire to defend at a high level. They did this before with Stanley Johnson - albeit briefly - and are going to attempt the same trick again.