Suns expect to improve in 2nd go vs. Utah; Damian Jones impresses
Dec 14, 2020, 6:06 AM | Updated: 5:08 pm
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams calls a timeout as the Suns play the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, in Dallas. Phoenix won 133-104. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
Monty Williams loves a practice the day after a game.
The direct transition from what the Phoenix Suns did wrong in Friday’s preseason loss against the Utah Jazz to correcting it a little over 12 hours later is the good stuff for him.
“These are great days to teach and learn,” he said Sunday. “The thing I love about our guys is that they come to the gym every day with the mindset of getting better and competing.”
The Suns stayed in Utah after the loss to the Jazz, a matchup they’ll repeat on Monday.
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Williams said he will “make those judgments [Monday]” when it comes to if Chris Paul, Dario Saric and Jae Crowder will play. Paul and Saric were kept out due to some soreness while Crowder just started practicing Wednesday.
Phoenix went over film in a great session, according to Williams. The head coach spoke after the game on the defensive struggles the team had in the defeat, and he shared what he saw on a second look.
“A couple things that, for me, it’s like, if we taught it then we can hold guys accountable,” Williams said. “And everything that we talked about today were things that we taught. After five or so practices — long shot, long rebound, not boxing out — a number of times we didn’t guard the ball and we had to shrink the floor and we gave up 3s. There were times where we had excellent defensive possessions and we nullified it by giving up an offensive rebound. That wasn’t a totally bad possession, it was just one that was incomplete.”
Williams said those are fine every now and then as long as they don’t become repetitive, something he surely will emphasize not only on Sunday but throughout the season.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a ton of improvement tomorrow,” he said.
DAMIAN JONES ACTIVE IN DEBUT
With Saric out, there were more minutes available off the bench in the big man rotation.
Saric is presumed to get the bulk of that playing time, as he’ll switch from the 4 and the 5. First-round pick Jalen Smith will do that too but it’s worth monitoring at this point if he plays right away. And if he does, how much?
Meanwhile, free agent addition Damian Jones took advantage of Saric’s absence with some great activity. Jones had two points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 18 minutes.
“I love his athleticism, I love the pressure he puts on the rim,” Williams said. “I thought a couple of times he got fouled and he makes such dynamic athletic plays that they just didn’t see it.”
Jones, 25, was the 30th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He had to work through some injuries at Vanderbilt and early on in his pro career but the appeal of Jones was clear as a mobile, long 6-foot-11 center that could put on some strength.
He had three of those seven rebounds on the offensive glass.
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) December 14, 2020
Jones made some good rotations on the backline of the defense and showed a good understanding of verticality.
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) December 14, 2020
While Williams mentioned that Jones needs to improve on his screens, something to watch for him the rest of the preseason, the coach is a fan of what he’s seeing.
“I just love his motor, his athleticism, he plays in his box and I think he’s gonna help us a ton this year,” Williams said. “He’s a guy that can play with both groups because of his ability to dive and distract shots on defense and his athleticism. We’ll see how it progresses but as I’ve watched him in training camp and now in last night’s game, I see a lot of positive activity from DJ.”
