How Dynamic Can Suns' Backcourt Trio Be?

The Suns' backcourt has vastly improved this summer.

Mar 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and guard Bradley Beal (3) after the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- Just over two months remain until the Phoenix Suns open preseason play ahead of the 2024-25 regular season - and they accomplished the majority of goals they set out to during the offseason.

The arguable crown jewel of this offseason was being able to bring on point guard Tyus Jones - who has widely been seen as one of the best, if not the absolute best point guard in the league for some time.

The new acquisition has lots of fans, both inside and outside of the building, with one being Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein.

“Obviously Tyus is coming here to start,” Bartelstein stated in an interview with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic earlier in the week.

“We have Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. We feel good about those guys. Coach has got a bunch of different lineups to see how they fit, but I think we feel really good about those three guys forming a three-headed monster and playing off each other with Kevin and Nurk (Suns 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic).”

The presumption is that Jones, Booker, and Beal will all start together. The other presumption is that Jones and other PG signing Monte Morris can be interchanged in various lineups that will allow the stars to do what they do best - score the rock.

Jones has had the league's best assist-to-turnover ratio for six consecutive seasons - while also shooting above 40% from behind the arc on nearly 4 attempts per game last season in perhaps the worst spacing situation in the NBA on the Washington Wizards.

"Trying to make it easier for Book, KD, Brad and the rest of the guys, honestly." Just facilitating, setting the table and ultimately just doing what I do and that’s being a point guard and being a leader. Felt again, the fit was there. It was perfect and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of that.”

- Jones on the role he's looking to play

"That's more of a question for coach, but I think we want a team that plays off the pass, moves the ball side to side and we've got to get up more 3s," Bartelstein added on about his vision of what the roster will look like from a play style perspective.

Budenholzer is notable for stressing a modernized approach to offenses - getting up over 40 threes a night or getting up shots at the rim.

That doesn't mean the team will completely stray away from the mid-range game, but fans should expect more three-point volume from Booker and Durant which will be spearheaded by the level-headed play that Jones is sure to bring to the table.

The special array of stationary shooters the Suns have outside of Jones are certainly going to benefit from this newfound approach as well, namely Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, and perhaps even Bol Bol.

Looking ahead, this could genuinely be a squad that is near the top of the league in both three-point volume and efficiency, while the offense is sure to be locked into the top 10 assuming good fortune with health.

This is still an uber-talented squad that now has a head coach that is a stronger fit, two table-setting point guards, and will likely be more adaptable in year two of this ambitious experiment.

This arrangement clearly a one-year proposition, as the Suns will not hold the Bird Rights to Jones, but he appears to be seen as a vital piece in the pursuit of bringing a title to Phoenix.