The Phoenix Suns were never quite comfortable with their offense this season, largely a byproduct of having so many new faces in the locker room. However, one of their biggest problem areas was exploited by the Minnesota Timberwolves throughout the First Round.
Without a point guard that could handle ball pressure and initiate plays, using his basketball IQ and passing prowess to create easy scoring opportunities, the Suns averaged 19.8 assists and 14.3 turnovers per game. Both marks are the third-worst among playoff teams. Their assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39) was the second-lowest among all playoff teams. They even failed to eclipse the 100-point threshold in the first two games, losing by double-digits in both contests.
Suns Address Roster Needs After First Round Sweep
On Wednesday, Suns general manager James Jones addressed questions about their roster needs, discussing the team’s lack of a point guard at length.
“I think the team could benefit from having a point guard…,” Jones admits.
However, the 14-year NBA veteran sounded more exasperated than flabbergasted, saying: “That’s an area we’ll hear a lot… Who do you want? Like, who do you want?”
“Who is available given the way we’re built? Whose game seamlessly fits with this group? When you put that player on the floor and you take the ball out of someone’s hands, whose hands are you taking it out of and who are you putting in that position? James Jones on PG need #Suns https://t.co/cpPONh3k1M pic.twitter.com/OPiDbjcGp4
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) May 1, 2024
“Who is available given the way we’re built?,” he asks. “Whose game seamlessly fits with this group?”
“When you put that player on the floor and you take the ball out of someone’s hands, whose hands are you taking it out of and who are you putting in that position?”
“It’s more than just a position —a point guard or small forward —it’s the actual player that you can get and that you do have,” Jones explains, before trying to douse concerns that the Suns were did their due diligence in trying to find said player.
“If we had the point guard that would be the best fit for this group we find them if available… I don’t run away from saying we could benefit from having a point guard. I just don’t think that was the answer to a lot of our problems.”
To Jones’ point, getting the right players is always easier said than done. However, there are several relatively low-usage point guards who can operate on or off-ball that they may have been able to acquire.
James Jones Had Options
Prior to the trade deadline, Washington Wizards point guard Tyus Jones and Utah Jazz point guard Kris Dunn were just two who were expected to be available. Both players are high IQ facilitators who shot at least 39 percent from 3 the past two seasons.
Veteran guard Kyle Lowry was available via trade and later on the buyout market. He’s declined as a scorer over the last three seasons but that would’ve played into the Suns’ hands, as it made his fit beside their scorers more sensible. Furthermore, he’s still a top-tier shooter, converting 37.7 percent of his 3s since 2020-21.
With their stars uncomfortable and being pushed off their spots, the Suns were swept. Jones, Dunn, or Lowry would’ve helped them elude that fate if not defeat itself. That said, Phoenix’s inability to stop anyone on the other team was also extremely problematic. Dominating the paint, the Timberwolves averaged 118.3 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting from the field.
However, Phoenix wasn’t built to excel defensively. They were built to overcome the staunchest defenses. There’s no other reason to acquire three offensive-minded All-Stars and surround them with a supporting cast of like-minded players. Like Durant or Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, and Eric Gordon aren’t incapable of playing respectable defense. Nonetheless, their focus throughout their career has primarily been about how they can contribute offensively.
Negligent Roster-Building
To build an offensive-minded team and refuse to give them a point guard that could organize them was foolish. To do so when Suns head coach Frank Vogel explicitly asked for one is negligent. With that said, Suns owner Mat Ishbia claims not to know if there was disconnect between Phoenix’s front office and head coach in that regard.
Mat Ishbia said he’s not sure the report is true that Frank Vogel wanted a point guard and the front office didn’t,
Said to talk to James Jones about that. #Suns #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/9TJMXs1Acy
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) May 1, 2024
He should know given his role within the organization. Especially as a hands-on owner. Yet, when he says “most people will argue… you want the ball in [the Big 3’s] hands as much as possible…” it doesn’t sound like he was heavily on-board with the idea of getting a point guard himself.
If that that’s the case, he’s as responsible for Phoenix’s disappointing end to the season as anyone. To that point, for all of the excitement Ishbia brings with his boyish enthusiasm, the Suns had two better regular season finishes and three better playoff finishes than they had in 2023-24. At this point, he’s been blowing hot air more than he’s delivered results.
Maybe that changes if they get a point guard. After all, they were mightily successful with the future Hall of Fame floor general they traded away last summer. You know the one.
