Hoops Habit
Fansided

How The Phoenix Suns Became Fun Again

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 5, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Tyler Ulis (right) is lifted up by teammate Marquese Chriss as they celebrate Ulis buzzerbeater against the Boston Celtics at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Celtics 109-106. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Tyler Ulis (right) is lifted up by teammate Marquese Chriss as they celebrate Ulis buzzerbeater against the Boston Celtics at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Celtics 109-106. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Mar 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts as he controls the ball against Phoenix Suns forward Derrick Jones Jr. (10) in the second quarter at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Airplane Mode

When Derrick Jones Jr. failed to win a disappointing Slam Dunk Contest, most people thought his shot at NBA relevance had sailed out the window. After all, this was a 20-year-old undrafted rookie who had spent most of his season playing for the Suns’ D-League affiliate.

But with Tucker gone, Bender injured and the focus for the rest of the season drastically altered, “Airplane Mode” has gotten the chance to show that he also has a bright future in this league.

Though his 5.1 points in 15.1 minutes per game since the All-Star break are fairly underwhelming, Jones has shown far more than the raw statistics indicate — especially on the defensive end, where Watson says he is slowly establishing himself as one of the team’s best perimeter defenders.

In addition to a collection of chase-down blocks against Washington Tuesday night, Jones harassed Russell Westbrook up and down the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder last week.

Though the MVP candidate finished with 48 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists for the game, his scuffle with Jones made him forget about basketball for a second and focus on a rookie inexplicably standing his ground. From then on, Westbrook made it personal and appeared to be trying to do too much down the stretch.

"“Derrick Jones — you can’t forget him,” Watson said. “Even though he doesn’t contribute a lot in the box score with points, his defense and his presence in his shot blocking and his ability to sprint for lobs allows Tyler [Ulis] to push the ball deeper into the paint.”"

https://twitter.com/Suns/status/837515080442900481

Again, Jones is not much of a scorer or perimeter threat, but he has been highly efficient on his limited number of attempts, going 16-for-19 from the field (84.2 percent) over the last seven games.

Yeah, those attempts are mostly dunks and alley-oops, but if game-changing plays to ignite the home crowd are wrong, nobody should want to be right.

https://twitter.com/Suns/status/839333719009710081

Derrick Jones Jr. is still a very raw, skinny player, but he’s also only 20 years old and has shown more than a few flashes of defensive potential and breathtaking athleticism.

Jones is not the crown jewel of Phoenix’s youth movement, but thanks to this sudden change in the allocation of minutes, everyone can see that he may actually have a bright future with this team.

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