The Phoenix Suns have positioned themselves well heading into this upcoming season. With an underdog mentality last year, they proved the doubters wrong and exceeded every preseason expectation. This led them to the playoffs, and even if it was a sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was a refreshing year compared to some previous ones.
By making this leap, though, it gave the fans something to root for and be excited for heading into this offseason. That is when we saw most of our players retained, along with some new faces, including Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard. That said, with this season full of excitement and the Summer League now over, the waiting period begins for all of us. So today we are going to dive in and explore three parts of this Suns team that I think will be exciting to dissect once the fall does eventually hit.
1. The Center Rotation Debate
Obviously, this is going to be a discussion that will be talked about all season long. As we know, the Suns have three bigs on their team, and all will be eyeing some playing time this year. Mark Williams was brought back on a solid deal that presumably makes him the starting center. Still, we also saw flashes of Khaman Maluach in the summer league, and we trust Oso Ighodaro.
This will definitely lead to some nights where one guy starts but another finishes, either because of performance or because one of them is in foul trouble. With Ighodaro’s contract also being so cheap on the club option, there is no reason to sell him at this point. Maluach, since he performed well in the Summer League, also needs some room to develop, as he is the future at the center position if he pans out to be what the front office expects.
From my understanding, it will probably be Williams who gets the short end of the stick once Maluach or Ighodaro proves to be the true starter and the other is a solid backup. That, though, will take time and most likely not occur this season, leaving the possibility of one of them getting the lesser end of the stick at some point of the season.
Will Ott utilize some double-big options with Ighodaro and Maluach, as well as Khaman’s ability to stretch the floor? That will also be something to keep a keen eye on, especially against bigger teams or ones that play very physically.
2. Jalen Green in a fully healthy year?
As we all know, Jalen Green arrived in Phoenix and, before the preseason even started, was dealing with a hamstring injury. This left some questions for the guard before he even stepped on the court for the team. Many were already looking at the fit with star Devin Booker and didn’t like it; this, for sure, didn’t help that case.
That said, we did see Green return to the team, even if only for 32 games; he showed glimpses of growth. He did have some stretches where he was hot from three (and cold), but he also made some nice plays defensively, using his quickness to generate steals and points on the other end.
His transition game seemed to be the spark his game needed and what the team needed when he was out. So, looking ahead to this year, I hope to see some of that still translate in his second year in the Valley. I hope to see him also develop a bit more of a passing touch, so he doesn’t have so many “I get the ball, I am going to shoot it” moments.
Will he be the perfect fit on this team? I don’t know, but I am willing to see it through this year and see if he can have a healthy season if it all comes together.
3. Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat Ascension
Both players impressed in the summer league and seem poised to grow in an area of need for the Suns: the power forward position. Even with them trading for Miles Bridges to presumably start on day one, I do believe that long-term, either Peat or Fleming will take that job, maybe even by the season’s end.
Fleming brings exactly what this team needs off the bench to replace Royce O’Neale’s value. He is a solid three-point scorer and uses his size and length to generate turnovers and get even more buckets. I fear he is going to be someone the Suns want to utilize early in the year to fill that void if they lose by giving up so much three-point shooting.
With Peat, I do think he will be stuffed down the rotation to start, but with that impressive summer league run, he proved he was way better than his selection at pick 30. The former McDonald’s All-American was said to be a high lottery pick before going to the University of Arizona, so this seems like a home run swing from Brian Gregory and company.
If Peat can be another interior scorer for this team alongside Bridges and even Ighodaro in some double-big instances, then the Suns fill a huge void from last year’s roster. Having the size, especially with the youth in the frontcourt, is key; as they grow, they need more help to go at guys like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, so this is a smart decision in my eyes.
I do predict that both will see plenty of time off the bench, as the Suns will be going deep into it this year. This will be a huge plus, as the young guys can get reps, while also allowing their key role players to get some rest and not overwork themselves throughout the season. Last year, a ton of injuries came late for Phoenix, and, partially, I think some of it was because the rookies did not get as much leeway as many anticipated.
Ultimately, though, I am patiently waiting for more Suns basketball and cannot wait to see what they do once the preseason gets underway.
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