Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones has officially hit the ground running. Thursday night he added a much-needed point guard trading back into the first round and selecting Virginia’s Ty Jerome with the 24th pick.
Per ESPN, the Suns are sending the Celtics their 2020 first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eric Bledsoe deal. Planet Orange also added some inside help in the deal.
Jerome, who declared for the draft after helping lead the Cavs to a NCAA National Championship this spring, improved his assistants per game in each of his three seasons in Charlottesville.
While far from an elite athlete, he thrives in the pick-and-roll game which suits the Suns well. He has nice size for a combo guard and is known for his quick, smart decisions running an offense.
The New York native is also known as a solid defender and makes others around him better-something the 19-win Suns desperately need. He averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game as a junior. Jerome figures to be in the mix at point guard when training camp begins this fall.
In Baynes, Phoenix gets a solid big man who is able to defend and has one year left on his contract. He will likely replace Richaun Holmes and backup Deandre Ayton.
