James Jones Knows Suns Can Win NBA Finals Next Year
A massive reset has occurred in the Valley as the Phoenix Suns look to capture their first NBA Finals in franchise history, and despite some talented teams rolling through here the last few seasons, the Larry O'Brien trophy has yet to make its way to Phoenix.
There's hope that can change after the Suns not only added Bradley Beal to a starting lineup that features Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. The Suns also added a strong slew of veterans to come off the bench.
Phoenix prioritized better shooting from long range, and now the Suns have nine players who shoot 35% or better from three-point land. They also prioritized length, as several players have a wingspan of 7-0 or longer (the shortest on the roster is 6-8).
Perhaps the most important attributes added have been versatility, balance and experience according to general manager James Jones.
“Versatility and balance and more importantly, experience. It takes a unique combination of skill, and knowhow to navigate a regular season and a postseason. You have to have success and failures in the postseason to understand what it actually takes to, ultimately, to be successful and win a championship," Jones said in an interview with The Arizona Republic.
"I think we have a nice balance of experience from a coaching perspective and from a roster perspective and we have a few guys that are pushing for those things that haven’t really seen it. That unknown for them drives their focus and more importantly, I think when you’re trying to establish yourself like our guys are, our mid-prime veterans are, winning a championship goes a long way.”
That certainly seems to be the consensus around the squad, who is now expected to compete with heavy hitters such as the Denver Nuggets to emerge out of the Western Conference.
But take it from the man who helped organize the roster himself: The Suns are looking mighty good on paper - it's up to them to see how things transpire from here.
