The Phoenix Suns have agreed to a contract with free agent Tyus Jones, and Jones is expected to be Phoenix’s new starting point guard next season. Arizona Sports John Gambadro.
according to ESPN’s Adrian WojnarowskiThe contract is for one year and is worth $3.3 million.
Gambadoro reported that Grayson Allen is expected to be benched, and that Jones has also received offers from teams including the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies.
Jones established himself as one of the NBA’s best backup point guards over the past few seasons before breaking into the starting lineup for the Washington Wizards last season, averaging career-highs of 12.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three-point range, both of which were the best shooting percentages of his nine-year career.
Jones is similar to new Suns point guard Monte Morris, an undersized point guard known for his ability to manage the game as a floor general. Jones has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio for five straight seasons.
The free-agent acquisition is a big deal for the Suns, as the team can only sign players at the veteran minimum wage, and while Jones was hoping for a significant salary, he decided to remain a free agent and take a discount to come to Phoenix.
With Jones in the starting lineup, there are obvious question marks over the perimeter defense. Phoenix has already faced Allen in the starting lineup, but Allen is bigger and tougher than Jones and did well in that role throughout last season. Allen also takes the majority of the Suns’ 3-point shots, thriving with more space and shooting a league-leading 46.1% from 3-point range.
But Jones does bring a sense of command and organization to the team that was sorely lacking last season. Much of the blame for the Suns’ lack of purpose was placed on the lack of a natural point guard and the coaching staff’s inability to work with the depth of their player base. Now, the Suns enter the season with two of those guards and have replaced former head coach Frank Vogel with Mike Budenholzer.
