Suns general manager James Jones likes team trajectory and is looking to improve

Managing assets, evaluating talent and monitoring performance as an NBA general manager intensifies at the trade deadline and beyond.

Luckily, for Phoenix Suns GM James Jones, he can take a sigh of relief after acquiring a coveted rotation piece in Royce O’Neale.

“It’s a collective reset, I think, most of the guys who are here and the guys coming in see this as an opportunity to reestablish themselves,” Jones told the media on Friday.

“We like where we are, but we always feel like we can be better.”

It’s a good opportunity for a team that is working its way to full strength, hovering right above the play-in and surging to a 12-3 record in its last 15 games.

“We’re improving and we have areas for improvement,” Jones said.

For Jones, those areas of improvement mostly center around balance.

“For us, we have to protect the ball and rebound better. We have elite shot making and in this league shot making wins,” he said.

“We’re pretty good when we get the right number of shots, paint attacks, three point attacks, midrange. When we have good balance we’re pretty good.”

Jones on Grayson Allen

There might not be a player on the roster who embodies that balance better than Grayson Allen.

He is leading the league with a 49.4% 3-point percentage and just went for a career-high 14 assists in Thursday’s win over the Utah Jazz.

“I think Grayson has been phenomenal,” Jones said.

According to Jones, the Suns are not the only team to take notice of how impactful Allen has been on the floor as a role player.

“There is plenty of interest in Grayson Allen but no one values him more than we do,” Jones said.

Allen is also averaging a combined 1.5 steals and blocks per game on the defensive end.

Bol Bol playing with confidence

It’s no secret that when Bol Bol is on the floor the building lights up.

Jones has taken notice of the fanfare surrounding the 7-foot-3 big man.

“They cheer for him just for the way he approaches the game for someone his size,” he said.

His minutes have seen a healthy uptick since the start of February and coincidentally, the Suns are undefeated this month.

“Bol’s been fantastic, man, people love Bol,” Jones said. “Bol has this youthful energy and innocence, he just goes out there and plays.”

Bol made his impact felt in the Jazz game, protecting the rim with two blocks.

His 2.4 blocks per 36 minutes leads the team by more than half a block.

It also ranks tied for 14th in NBA among players who have been in more than 10 games this season.

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