Bismack Biyombo: Suns are unlike any other team I’ve ever been on

Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo understands how rare this type of team is in the modern NBA.

The Suns backup big man, who was signed for the rest of the season on Jan. 11 after a 10-day contract, told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Friday that Phoenix was unlike any other squad he’s ever been on.

He pointed to the likes of veteran point guard Chris Paul and Monty Williams, the latter of whom captured the attention of Biyombo during a press conference when the Suns head coach said they were trying to build leaders, not followers.

Biyombo added that he was also moved by the fact that Williams took the time to mentor Deandre Ayton during last year’s playoffs while he experienced ups and downs as a young player in his first postseason.

“A lot of coaches, teams look at it as a business. You come, you do your job and then you go home,” he said. “I think the organization here and us as players, we’re fortunate enough to have (Williams).

“And then you have Chris as a competitor, Devin Booker — all the guys on the team. It feels good when the guys are on the floor because nobody really cares who scores as long as we win the game. This is not normal.”

In fact, Biyombo picked the Suns over money because of that winning culture Williams has built in Phoenix.

“The number one thing for me was that playing this year, I wanted to play for something,” he said. “I wanted a season full of purpose. … It was just a matter of being patient and waiting for the right situation.”

“I don’t think I would’ve taken [more money] anyway because my gut feeling felt like this was the right situation for me,” Biyombo added. “I think it’s the journey, the game that we play is not so much about money. There’s only so much money you can make. But again my gut feeling felt right here.”

Biyombo also bet on himself so to speak, as the center told his agent that they were going to “close out the season” in Phoenix by getting signed for the remainder of the year once the 10-day contract was over.

“I didn’t just take the 10-day because it was a 10-day,” he said. “I knew because of the opportunity that was presenting itself and the type of guys that I was going to play with and the system that fits in perfectly with the way I play. … I think being in environments like this makes you want to compete at the highest level and you have to be more demanding of yourself because the guys they have here are amazing.

In seven games for the Suns this season, the center is averaging 8.6 points and 6.0 rebounds across 18.9 minutes per contest.

“I just care about winning, man. … Nobody is gonna care if you played 30 minutes and the team loses. And I’ve been on teams like that,” he added.

Follow @jwa1994