James Jones majored in finance while playing for the University of Miami. He was involved in negotiating multiple collective bargaining agreements as an officer with the NBA Players Association. He was abruptly thrust into general manager duties after former boss Ryan McDonough was fired days before the Suns’ season opener.

Yet Jones acknowledged Monday’s dismissal of coach Igor Kokoskov after one season was one of the more challenging tasks of Jones’ quick rise from player to front-office decision-maker.

“I just wanted to make sure we were thorough, and I think we were,” Jones said during a Wednesday news conference. “So that makes it a lot easier to move forward and be confident that the direction we’re charting is the right direction for the franchise.”

Jones’ meeting with the media was his first since the conclusion of the second-worst season in Suns history. The most pressing topic, of course, was Kokoskov’s firing and yet another coaching search. But Jones also touched on the addition of senior vice president of basketball operations Jeff Bower and Phoenix’s overall direction heading into what Jones described as a “very important” summer.

Here’s what we can glean from the notable comments:

1. “The decision with Igor was mine and mine alone.”

That was in response to a question about how much influence owner Robert Sarver had on the choice to move on from Kokoskov. The examples of Sarver’s volatile meddling over the past decade are plentiful, creating an outside assumption that he ultimately calls all the shots.

But later, Jones reiterated that “there hasn’t been a decision that was dictated to me” during his time as the interim or permanent general manager.

So let’s take Jones at his word — that he made the final decision to fire Kokoskov. Jones called Kokoskov an “extraordinary human being” and a “really good coach.” Jones added Phoenix’s 19-63 record, which tied for the NBA’s second-worst this season and included a franchise-worst 17-game losing skid, was not a primary factor in his evaluation of Kokoskov. Instead, Jones referenced a “collective set of issues that I thought we could improve on.”

Though Jones did not specify where Kokoskov fell short, his subsequent answers offered some clues.

Jones mentioned the roster assembled after Kokoskov was hired — with veterans additions Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson originally slotted as starters — was far from the young group that finished the season. That suggests Jones believes it is more important for this team’s coach to help players walk through the early steps of NBA life than concoct a masterful out-of-timeout play. Ensuring player-development drills translate to the floor on game day is also important, Jones said.

By waiting 13 days after the season finale to fire Kokoskov, Jones said he favored prudence over rapid reaction. And though the new hire will soon become the Suns’ fifth head coach (including interim coaches) in five seasons, Jones did not want to maintain stability only “for the sake of stability.”

“There’s really no perfect time for tough decisions like this,” Jones said. “I think the biggest thing I can say is we recognized that we needed to make a change, and I did it.”

2. “We want a leader.”

Hiring somebody with NBA head-coaching experience would be “gold,” Jones said. But he cautioned that “you don’t want to box yourself in” and reminded that “some of the game’s best coaches are assistants who became head coaches.”

Jones was asked directly (or indirectly) about the candidacy of Philadelphia assistant Monty Williams and Dan Majerle, the former Suns great and current Grand Canyon head coach. Jones declined to comment about potential targets, but The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday that Williams and Portland assistant David Vanterpool were the Suns’ first two contacts.

Philosophically, Jones is seeking a coach with an “aggressive” style on both ends of the floor. That makes sense, given Phoenix was most effective last season when it used its length and athleticism to harass the perimeter — it ranked second in the NBA with nine steals per game — which in turn led to scoring opportunities in the open court.

Personality-wise, Jones is looking for a coach who will relate to players and “force them to thrive in a competitive environment.”

“Our focus is to open it up to competition,” Jones said, “where guys have to earn their roles, where they have to prove it consistently on a day-in and day-out basis, (and) they have to prove that they earned the right to wear a Suns jersey.”

Despite the rapid turnover the past five years, Jones said he is not concerned with his ability to attract his top choices for the job. He highlighted the foundation of Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, along with this summer’s high lottery draft pick and overall roster flexibility heading into next season.

“I think that’s appealing to any coach, anywhere,” Jones said.

3. “He’s a person I will lean on heavily.”

Wednesday also marked the first opportunity to ask Jones about Bower, the former Charlotte/New Orleans and Detroit general manager who will report to Jones and help groom him in this new role.

Jones praised Bower’s experience across multiple organizational facets, from scouting to coaching to the front office. And, more specifically, Bower’s experience with rebuilding organizations.

Bower was in charge when the Hornets temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, and helped develop that franchise into a playoff participant anchored by a young Chris Paul.

Before Bower arrived in Detroit in 2014, the Pistons had not won more than 30 games in any of the previous four seasons. They averaged 38 wins in Bower’s four-year tenure, with one playoff appearance. Bower also collaborated with then-coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy on last season’s blockbuster trade to acquire Blake Griffin.

“He’s had to make a lot of the decisions that I’ll have to make moving forward,” Jones said. “ … His views on what really changes a culture, what really impacts a player’s mentality, what can we do to help our guys develop those championship habits (and) to develop the attitude of performance, he’s just given us those nuggets of information that have allowed us to make the decisions that we think will help us turn this around a little bit quicker.”

4. “We need to raise the floor.”

It’s safe to assume that Jones would prefer not to have four rookies in the rotation next season.

The head-coaching vacancy does not change Phoenix’s summer priorities. The Suns will target players between the ages of 25 and 30 who can immediately help on the court, provide locker-room leadership and create more intense daily competition with teammates. Jones believes free agency is generally a more realistic way to add those players than offseason trades.

“We need to add guys in their prime,” Jones said. “ … Not prospects, but NBA players.”

Still, the draft will be a crucial summer checkpoint. The Suns are one of three teams with the best odds (14 percent) to land the first-overall pick. But they could also fall as low as No. 7 in a weak draft behind Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.

Wherever and whomever the Suns select, Jones does not want any rookie to feel pressure to immediately “impact winning.”

“I want them to come in here and organically grow into really good NBA players,” Jones said. “I think the best way to improve our team in the short-term — as we prepare for the long-term growth of our guys — is to have veteran guys.”

And when asked specifically about retaining Kelly Oubre Jr., who is now a restricted free agent after putting up career numbers since a December trade to Phoenix, Jones reiterated, “We love Kelly. We want Kelly here.”

(Photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today Sports)