Phoenix Suns' Isaiah Thomas: Point guard 'missing piece' against Minnesota Timberwolves

A Phoenix Suns point guard has opened up on the team's, well, lack of a point guard.

Isaiah Thomas, who played very sparingly for the Suns this season, recently talked about how not having a point guard impacted the team in its first-round NBA Playoffs exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves swept the Suns in four games.

“I think we just tried something that really hasn't been done before with not having a point guard, and I think it just paid a toll on us in a series where we played against a young, energetic, physical team, that kind of knew, okay we're going to pressure these guys the whole game to see if they can last,” Thomas said on Bully Ball with Rachel Nichols and DeMarcus Cousins. “Like, to see if guys can really be able to make point guard plays. And not necessarily saying just because I'm on the team we need to play a point guard. Even before I got on the squad, from afar, looking at the Phoenix Suns, I always felt like, when it came to the playoffs that kind of would be a missing piece."

Related: Did the Phoenix Suns need a point guard? GM James Jones isn't so sure

Isaiah Thomas: 'You just can't play without a point guard'

Thomas is a point guard who signed with the Suns for the remainder of the season on April 9 after spending time on 10-day contracts with the team.

Many thought that the team might turn to him in an attempt to potentially jumpstart the offense late in the season for Phoenix, but Thomas only played in six games, averaging 3.2 minutes per game, 0.5 assists per game and 1.3 points per game with the Suns this season.

The Suns decided to not play a true point guard this season in an effort to have the ball in the hands of its "Big 3" more often, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

"Ultimately you just can't play without a point guard," Thomas added. "Even if you play a point guard five to ten minutes each and every little half, like that's enough. It was taking a toll on a guy like Bradley Beal. It was taking a toll on a guy like Devin Booker and even Kevin Durant at times because it's just different things you've got to do when you are a point guard. … It just paid a toll on us."

Devin Booker to New York Knicks? Charles Barkley shuts down Stephen A. Smith trade rumor

What GM James Jones said about Suns and the point guard position

Fans have clamored for the team to get a point guard for next season, but GM James Jones recently said that he didn't think a point guard would solve all of the team's woes while also offering insight on what the team might be looking for at the position.

“I think the team could benefit from having a point guard,” Jones said at his post-season media availability. “I believe the team could benefit from having backup forwards, backup centers. I still always go back to your best players on the floor. That’s a narrative we’ll hear a lot, point guard, point guard. Sure, that’s great. Who do you want? Who is available given the way we’re built? Who can fit with this group? Whose game seamlessly fits with this group and when you put that player on the floor and you take the ball out of someone’s hands, whose hands are you taking it out of and who are you putting in that position?

“It’s more than just a position, like a point guard or small forward,” Jones continued. “It’s the actual player that you can get or you do have. If we had the point guard that would be the best fit for this group, we’d find him, if available."

He added, "I don’t run away from saying we could benefit from having a point guard. I just don’t think that was the answer to a lot of our problems.”

Hosts: Blame Phoenix Suns' roster construction, not Frank Vogel, for NBA Playoff failure

Isaiah Thomas thinks Suns will double down with Big 3 next season

Don't expect drastic changes to the Suns lineup next season, at least according to Thomas.

There is a lot of speculation about the Suns potentially trading Booker or Durant, but the point guard does not see that happening in Phoenix.

“I don't think they are going to trade any of them,” Thomas said told Nichols and Cousins. “When it went well, like when we played well and those guys really played well, you've seen what it could look like on a consistent basis, it just was inconsistency at times. Those guys really rock with each other, so you just gotta figure out who you can put around those guys to complement their personalities, to complement their game, to make things a lot easier for those three guys and then you move on from there."

Do you think the Suns need to shift their strategy and get a point guard to help the team?

(Includes reports from The Republic's Duane Rankin).

More Suns: Kevin Durant trade odds favor Thunder, 76ers, Spurs, Pelicans over star staying with Suns

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns need point guard with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal