As you can probably imagine, much has been made about the Phoenix Suns somehow signing point guard Tyus Jones to a minimum deal recently. The former Memphis Grizzlies standout - who became the best backup in the league while playing there - somehow landing with an organization mired in the second apron.
Getting Jones - as well as backup Monte Morris - is a huge upgrade for the Suns, although it does pose some worrying questions about the direction their starting five is going in. Either Jones starts and this group becomes incredibly easy to score on, or Bradley Beal comes off the bench to provide more balance. Now that would be an awkward conversation to have.
It has now been revealed what number Jones will wear for the Suns, and he's clearly not a superstitious individual.
Rather than wipe the slate clean and go in a different direction altogether, Jones has opted for the number 21 that he wore while with the Memphis Grizzlies. Last season with the Washington Wizards he donned five, and put up 12 points and over seven assists per night in the process, albeit as a starter.
Going back to the number he wore during the period in his career were he made a name for himself makes sense. Besides, a number is just a number, right? Perhaps so, until you realize who last wore the number 21 for the Suns, as revealed by Etienne Catalan, who has become quite good at revealing these choices.
Tyus Jones (@1Tyus) will wear No. 21 for the #Suns. Number last worn by David Roddy in 2024. #NBA pic.twitter.com/OqNbc9YlXn
— Etienne Catalan (@EtienneCatalan) July 30, 2024
Look, Jones is most certainly not David Roddy. He's a proven NBA player who will be able to run the second unit really well, not to mention the starters if he's out there at crunch time. It's just the whole Roddy experience was so incredibly meh, that the hope is that the tenure of Jones doesn't go the same way.
He might have been the perfect offseason addition for the Suns - so perfect it was foolish to even consider him as a realistic possibility - but the team has been here before. Last season Yuta Watanabe was somehow gotten on the minimum, despite being a real threat from the Brooklyn Nets from deep prior to joining.
He was gone from The Valley by the trade deadline - to the Grizzlies - and is now out of the league altogether. Again, Jones is leagues above both Watanabe and especially Roddy. But when you've so many numbers to choose from, why take the same one as a guy who just left having made zero impact? Then again, Jones will certainly make the fans forget about Roddy real quick.