"Ronnie Price has held this job previously, just not often.

Price was a hired backup point guard during the Suns training camp but has become a starting off guard in the lineup the Suns have used for the past five games.

Price got spot starts for Sacramento alongside Mike Bibby and for Utah alongside Deron Williams but never in a longer-term role like this has been.

Price is not the typical shooting guard, having scored only 14 points in his first four starts. Suns coach Alvin Gentry turned to him in the starting lineup for his defense and effort.

"One thing you can always control is defense and effort and competing," Price said. "You can't always control whether your shot is falling. My mind, especially with the lineup I'm with now, is to be a defensive presence, because I can control that. It's not like I'm the point (guard) with the ball in my hand like I was earlier in the year."

This was not as drastic as some past changes for Price, who would come from out of the rotation to starting under Jazz coaching legend Jerry Sloan."