The Phoenix Suns have 28 games to make a drastic turnaround. As a result, sending Tyus Jones to the bench might be the best course of action for the franchise. Even after the Suns and Jones agreed to a $3.3 million deal, the experiment hasn’t worked in their favor for the last 10-15 games.
His statistical averages aren’t the problem, but it’s the defense. The 6’1 guard is a defensive liability in terms of size. Plenty of teams will isolate him and force a multitude of switches, screens, and mismatches. No matter how crucial his offensive output is as the floor general, the defensive discrepancies are too glaring to ignore.
Now, it’s not as easy as it seems to bench Jones. After all, the franchise promised that he would start, no matter what. They didn’t say the same to Bradley Beal, who was benched by Phoenix at the beginning of the New Year. Also, they benched center Jusuf Nurkic before he was subsequently traded to the Charlotte Hornets.
Tyus Jones against the Rockets:
6 turnovers (career high)
Some great gems in there… pic.twitter.com/MvvU1RL6vi
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) February 13, 2025
Going back to the defense, the numbers suggest that Jones is a liability on that side of the floor. Jones’s defensive rating for the season is 121.2, which puts him among the worst defensive rating point guards in the NBA. Specifically, he has the fourth-worst individual defense rating out of all guards in the league.
When Jones and Beal share the court, the Suns’ defensive rating drops from 109.5 to 115.5. Both guys aren’t playing together as routinely, but the number sticks out like a sore thumb. Despite being 11th in offensive rating, the Suns have the third-worst defensive rating in the league (117.3).
Although head coach Mike Budenholzer isn’t known for a defensive scheme, the metric isn’t helping them in the slightest.
Will it be easy for the Suns to bench Tyus Jones?
It’s not that Jones would be outspoken about the move, rather, it stems from the front office. They’re already in murky waters with Beal and Kevin Durant. The latter was involved in trade discussions without the team informing him. Because of it, there’s been some friction towards the front office.
They might want to do some damage control with the rest of the team. Irritating two of the top stars isn’t a recipe for success. Still, it doesn’t eliminate the underlying concern of Jones. If he was a dynamic scorer, this would be a different conversation but he’s not. The leader in assist-to-turnover ratio hasn’t been the same effective player he’s been in years past.
He’s great as a starter in spurts. However, the defensive shortcomings are too evident to ignore.
Before January 6, the Jones/Beal/Devin Booker trio posted a -77 in their 276 minutes together. Neither side was great, as they had a 107.9 offensive rating and an abysmal 122.9 defensive rating. The -15 net differential is cringeworthy, to say the least.
Can anyone replace Tyus Jones in the Suns starting lineup?
The main point of the offseason was securing a point guard. Booker and Beal alternating point guard duties didn’t help anyone. Insert Jones.
The elite backup point guard hasn’t necessarily thrived in his role. At the beginning of the season, Jones was the unheralded player unlocking the Suns offense. Now, it’s been the opposite.
Still, there are 28 games left in the regular season and something has to change. G-League guards TyTy Washington Jr and Collin Gillespie have shown flashes of penetrating the defenses and knocking down shots.
Reverting to a backup point guard is an utter slap in the face to a franchise that has championship aspirations. Either way, Phoenix will have to swallow its pride and send Jones to the bench to salvage the rest of the season. If they make the playoffs, the season will start over.
If not, it could be game over for the Big 3 experiment, and the Suns’ championship window could be slammed shut.
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