The Phoenix Suns recently struck a deal to acquire center Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets, and the early returns have been promising. Posting a double-double on your debut - albeit against the Washington Wizards - is one way to get the fanbase onside quickly, although Richards alone can't solve all of the Suns' issues.
What his introduction does allow them to do however is look at different kinds of rotations throughout each game. The Suns spent so much time trying to hide Jusuf Nurkic on the court - before just sitting him completely - that much of how their rotation looked was based off of who Nurkic would play alongside.
Which means it could be time to bring back a failed experiment
One of the least successful aspects of the Suns' season under previous head coach Frank Vogel was trying to play Devin Booker and Bradley Beal together as co-point guards. It didn't work because neither ever truly looked comfortable, with a ton of turnovers and "my turn, your turn" offensive game plan the result of trying to force this to work.
The addition of Tyus Jones last summer was a master stroke by the organization, although worryingly it hasn't completely eradicated the turnover problems in Phoenix. Despite this there's no doubt Jones does an excellent job of settling the group early, and he gets them into their offensive sets and always looks to make the right pass.
That is all well and good, but could the aforementioned addition of Richards mean it is time to give this another look? Earlier in the season starting the duo of Jones and Nurkic together was a disaster defensively, but that's not the case anymore. With Nurkic no longer playing, the microscope has instead come under Jones, and his inability to be a factor on that end of the court.
Once again......What purpose does Tyus Jones serve on this team
— . (@Kd7_Szn) January 18, 2025
Part of the reason he has been a backup floor general for much of his career - and one of the best in the league at that - is because Jones is less exposed to the best players in the league when he's playing 20 minutes a night from the bench. The Suns sit 22nd in defensive rating this season (115.3), and it doesn't get any better in the minutes Jones is out there (115.0).
But with rookie Ryan Dunn having taken Beal's spot in the starting lineup - and Richards looking like he will soon do the same - perhaps now is the time to think about moving Jones to the bench. Yes he's more protected playing next to Dunn and Richards, but this may no longer be the best use of him with this group.
For all of Beal's drawbacks - from his contract to the consistent niggling injuries - he's leagues better than Jones offensively. He can still put up 20 each night in his sleep, and he's also a better defender. Not just because he's taller than Jones, he remains quicker and more athletic, capable of beating opponents to their spots on the court and using that bigger frame in ways Jones cannot.
With the Suns now sitting ninth in turnovers per game (13.9), could the time be now to put the ball back in the hands of Booker and Beal, and see what happens? To make this even simpler, Booker should just be the one with the ball in hand each possession, with Beal taking over occasionally to get Booker to his spots off the ball.
Whereas opponents and quicker guards used to pick on one of these two defensively, Dunn being alongside them would see this happen less. It could also give Booker back that alpha dog energy that has been sorely lacking this season. Offensively it just makes too much sense to not consider this, and Jones would also revert back to a more comfortable spot for himself too.
The best part here is that if this didn't work, the Suns could quickly go back to bringing Beal off the bench again for Jones. That difficult conversation has been had - and whether it is trying to force Beal to waive that no-trade clause or not - he's now coming off the bench. Framing this as his last chance to get his starting spot back may also see the franchise get the best out of the player.