Sun Notes: Allen, Jones, Nurkic, Dunn, Plumlee

Grayson Allen worked behind the scenes to bring Tyus Jones to Phoenix, although Jones will likely take his place in the starting lineup, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Many were surprised that the… Suns were able to land an entry-level point guard when they were limited to a minimum salary offer, but Allen has a strong connection to his former teammate at Duke.

“He played a big role in recruiting me here.” Jones said. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about me starting. I know we need you to come here and be the starting point guard. That’s what we’re missing.’”

Allen is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 13.5 PPG in his first year with the Suns and leading the league in three-point shooting at 46.1%. Phoenix tried to get by without a traditional lead guard last season, and Allen began to realize that approach wasn’t working.

“Seeing Tyus being a starter, I just feel like our team has gotten a lot better.” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited to have him on our team and I’m okay with what that brings.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

• Start center Jusuf Nurkic Will be re-evaluated in a week after injuring his left middle finger in a skirmish, Rankin tweets. Nurkic will miss Sunday’s preseason opener against the Lakers, as well as Tuesday’s game against the Pistons and Friday’s return game against Detroit.
• First round pick Ryan Dunn “is a perfect addition to a team that needs big wings who can play defense,” notes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. The 6-foot-2 Dunn used his 7-foot wingspan to become Virginia’s defensive terror over the last two seasons. He wants to be the Suns’ primary lockdown defender and has happily accepted the challenge of taking on that challenge Kevin Durant, Devin Booker And Bradley Beal in practice. “Competing against them day in and day out, I’ll probably get in a little bit of trouble every now and then, but that’s just how it is.” Dunn said. “I’m prepared for it, my ups and downs, but it will help me prepare, especially with these guys, learn from them and take that into account when I compete against other players in the league.”
• Veterans Center Mason Plumlee is excited about working with Durant after signing a one-year deal with the Suns in free agency (video link from Bourguet). “Sometimes when you’re playing against a guy, you just wonder, ‘Is he just hitting these shots tonight?'” Plumlee said. “And from preseason to training camp, it’s like he beats them all the time.”