Phoenix Suns’ Tyus Jones ready to be the best kind of brick for a title contender
Tyus Jones is a brick. He’s all the bricks. With apologies to Pink Floyd, Tyus Jones is The Wall.
“The role for me, I felt the fit was perfect,” Jones said Wednesday, speaking for the first time as a member of the Phoenix Suns. “You look at the roster, it speaks for itself.
“I felt like I could help with what I bring to the table. I felt I could help contribute to a championship-contending team. I’m very excited about it.”
And when I say Jones is a brick, I’m not talking about his shooting. He shot nearly 50% from the field last season, including better than 40% from 3-point range.
I’m calling him The Wall because that’s exactly what the Suns needed last season.
Imagine holding a backpack full of spray paint in the middle of an empty field.
It’s worthless.
But now imagine holding that same backpack in front of a blank wall on a crowded intersection.
The value is immeasurable.
You could put anything you want on that wall. A mural of Devin Booker. An NBA championship trophy. Your own name! (With the proper permits, of course. Don’t break the law, people. Police have enough to do.)
That’s what Tyus Jones represents to the Suns.
Booker, Kevin Durant and Brad Beal are cans of spray paint, the brightest, boldest, longest-lasting colors available. But last year, without a point guard, they didn’t have a wall to display what makes them special.
Now, they’re going to have a chance to do the things they do best: Hunt shots. Hit 3-pointers. Shake defenders out of their ankle braces.
“It’s a stacked roster,” Jones said. “I feel like my game complements all of their games and their skill sets. I feel like the fit will be easy. And I’m really looking forward to sharing the court with those guys.”
Booker, Durant and Beal aren’t coaches on the floor. They’re not conductors. They aren’t orchestrators.
They’re finishers. Snipers. Closers.
Sure, they can do all that intangible leadership stuff, but they’re great because they’re self-motivated. They work best around others with similar mindsets.
With Jones on the floor, they’re not going to have to worry about finding shots for their teammates or barking directions on defense or taking charge in a huddle to switch up strategies to deal with streaking opponents.
All they’ll have to do is go out and execute.
Every championship team has guys like Jones. Guys you’ve seen play a hundred times but probably haven’t noticed even once unless they’re on your team.
They turn into Derek Fisher or Brian Shaw. Or John “Spider” Salley and Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson. Or Tony Allen and Eddie House. Or Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers.
These are the guys you need to win a title.
A lot of things are going to have to go right for the Suns to cast a shadow over the rest of the NBA with Jones building a wall at point guard.
They’re going to need to stay healthy. (Duh. All title teams need to be healthy.)
They’re going to need to get off to a hot start. (Which is entirely possible with Booker and Durant staying sharp in Paris at the Summer Olympics.)
And they’re going to need to buy what first-year Suns coach Mike Budenholzer is selling. (Which they should. He’s a champion.)
But Jones will be a big key to all of it. He makes good passes without turning the ball over. He knocks down shots well enough to keep defenses from double-teaming on his side of the floor. And he’s used to playing in the shadows, having teamed with guys such as Ja Morant and Karl-Anthony Towns.
This was a great signing.
Tyus Jones is a brick. He’s all the bricks. With apologies to Pink Floyd, Tyus Jones is The Wall.
And that’s exactly what you need when you have a backpack full of spray paint.