Suns updates and discussion for the 2022-23 season

[Covert Rain]

We have some winnable games left in March but if we don't go 3-3 in this next stretch? Yikes. We could drop to a play in team. Remaining March Schedule:

Lakers - .486
Kings - .614
76ers - .686
Jazz - .486
Timberwolves - .486
Nuggets - .667

 

[Peter Sheldon]

Hopefully, Deandre Ayton will return in the not too distant future.

hopefully, but this butter-fingered, non-aggressive version of Ayton may not get it done. Now if Ayton plays anywhere near his potential....that's a different story.

 

[AzStevenCal]

We have some winnable games left in March but if we don't go 3-3 in this next stretch? Yikes. We could drop to a play in team. Remaining March Schedule:

Lakers - .486
Kings - .614
76ers - .686
Jazz - .486
Timberwolves - .486
Nuggets - .667

And just a week or so ago I was called "crazy" for suggesting we might only win half our remaining games. Back then, I thought I was being generous suggesting that we might win half the games. Now it would take a miracle for us to close out the season playing .500 ball.

 

[Mainstreet]

hopefully, but this butter-fingered, non-aggressive version of Ayton may not get it done. Now if Ayton plays anywhere near his potential....that's a different story.

A healthy Ayton would have probably been the difference in getting a win instead of a loss against the Thunder.

 

[82CardsGrad]

A healthy Ayton would have probably been the difference in getting a win instead of a loss against the Thunder.

Man I wish we could be certain about that... but we can't.

 

[AzStevenCal]

A healthy Ayton would have probably been the difference in getting a win instead of a loss against the Thunder.

We were 8-1 over the last 9 games we played without DA which is well above our winning percentage with him so I'm not sure he would have made it better. I guess it depends on which DA shows up.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

We were 8-1 over the last 9 games we played without DA which is well above our winning percentage with him so I'm not sure he would have made it better. I guess it depends on which DA shows up.

Those 9 games were pre-trade when we had other players around to carry the load. After the trade and KD being out Ayton is now much more important to us winning than before.

 

[Mainstreet]

Man I wish we could be certain about that... but we can't.

We were 8-1 over the last 9 games we played without DA which is well above our winning percentage with him so I'm not sure he would have made it better. I guess it depends on which DA shows up.

The Suns need better rotation players and cannot afford to lose a starter. Quality depth is an issue.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Those 9 games were pre-trade when we had other players around to carry the load. After the trade and KD being out Ayton is now much more important to us winning than before.

Yes the good version of DA would help us even more than when we have a full roster. But the bad version would just dig our grave a little deeper.

 

[AzStevenCal]

The Suns need better rotation players and cannot afford to lose a starter. Quality depth is an issue.

I don't disagree, I'm just not sure which Ayton we're going to see from game to game. But yes, I'd rather have him available than not. I think the numbers work slightly in our favor on good DA vs bad DA.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't disagree, I'm just not sure which Ayton we're going to see from game to game. But yes, I'd rather have him available than not. I think the numbers work slightly in our favor on good DA vs bad DA.

I'm looking it from the standpoint, if the Suns get all their starters healthy, it will push players down to create better depth.

The Suns bench is terrible.

 

[GatorAZ]

Regarding our depth I’d say our 3-8 rotation players are worse than any current playoff team in the west with the exception of Dallas and OKC. But, we have the best 1-2 punch in the west if healthy. For that reason I think Book should get a week off before the playoffs b/c KD/Book playing at the highest level they can is the only way we win a title.

 

[Covert Rain]

I'm looking it from the standpoint, if the Suns get all their starters healthy, it will push players down to create better depth.

The Suns bench is terrible.

The Suns bench is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be but they are highly dependent in a couple areas. Seems to be the benches biggest weakness by far? Turnovers and FG%. Which is freaking weird because they are the 11th best scoring bench in the NBA and still have one of the best +/- benches in the NBA. That is likely because of 3 pointers and free throws.

This would also explain when the Suns have bad 3 point shooting why the bench looks especially bad. One of their equalizers evaporates. That means if the bench isn't shooting well from the 3 or getting to the line? It's a bad night for our bench.

Suns Bench by the numbers

11th Best scoring
9th in Assists
11th in Steals
6th in Blocks
24th in Turnovers (only 6 other benches turnover more)
28th in FG%
9th 3PT %
10th Rebounding
Free Throws Made 8th
4th in +/-

 

[Proximo]

And just a week or so ago I was called "crazy" for suggesting we might only win half our remaining games. Back then, I thought I was being generous suggesting that we might win half the games. Now it would take a miracle for us to close out the season playing .500 ball.

I was with you then, and I am with you now.

We need Durant back. Good news is I am getting the impression he is ahead of schedule on returning.

 

[Proximo]

The Suns bench is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Seems to be the benches biggest weakness by far? Turnovers and FG%. Which is freaking weird because they are the 11th best scoring bench in the NBA. That likely because of 3 pointers and free throws.

Suns Bench by the numbers

11th Best scoring
9th in Assists
11th in Steals
6th in Blocks
7th in Turnovers (most)
28th in FG%
9th 3PT %
10th Rebounding
Free Throws Made 8th
4th in +/-

I agree as complementary pieces they are not bad.

The problem is that is all they are. None of them are good at shot creation, except Cam Payne to some degree, but he is quite streaky.

 

[Chaplin]

It might be a slight exaggeration but we are losing games to weak teams for a reason. Once we get past our top 4 players we're using guys that would be at the end of the bench for most contending teams. And quit making this about my fandom, please.

We have one of the best players in the game and can't win in OKC, that's not because I'm negative or don't like the trade or don't want a championship as you've stated. It's because we are slightly better than average from 1 through 4 and weak from 5 through 9. That's what happens when you need serious minutes from end of the bench players.

Where did I say anything about your fandom? Are you or are you not showing negativity for the team and the trade?

 

[GatorAZ]

If they value Paul greater than nothing they wouldn't be helping the Suns, they would be helping themselves.

Whatever, I'm not even sure I want that to happen. The idea of locking up Kyree to a long term deal and retrying the Nets experiment doesn't seem like a very good idea.

Paul is a terrible fit with Luka but the smoke signals are still going up with Kyrie.
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[Phrazbit]

The only way we could get Kyrie is if we send them Ayton, which would be insane.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Where did I say anything about your fandom? Are you or are you not showing negativity for the team and the trade?

You said my opinion was an exagerration due to my negativity towards the team and the trade, what else could that possibly mean but a statement about my fandom? I didn't mention the trade, you did. And I wasn't being negative, I was stating my opinion with no emotional attachment to the opinion.

With a few exceptions when my negativity overrode reason I've tried to be as even-handed about this trade as I possibly can be. Which is not easy for me to do because, yes, I am extremely negative about the trade. But I still watch every game and am hopeful going into each game and miserable after every loss. I just try to not bring the way I feel into the tone of my posts. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and sometimes a weak rotation is just a weak rotation, not an attack on the Durant trade.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I was with you then, and I am with you now.

We need Durant back. Good news is I am getting the impression he is ahead of schedule on returning.

I'm hopeful too and I swear, I'm not trying to take a shot at the Durant trade but I'm pretty sure you'd take far less comfort from those comments if you'd followed the Durant situation during his last injury.

More than a month passed in between the first "KD is really looking great, it won't be long now" report and the time he finally returned to action. Maybe that was KD delaying his return because he simply didn't want to take the court for that team again, but we just don't know.

 

[Proximo]

I'm hopeful too and I swear, I'm not trying to take a shot at the Durant trade but I'm pretty sure you'd take far less comfort from those comments if you'd followed the Durant situation during his last injury.

More than a month passed in between the first "KD is really looking great, it won't be long now" report and the time he finally returned to action. Maybe that was KD delaying his return because he simply didn't want to take the court for that team again, but we just don't know.

Yeah, but there is a big difference between and ankle sprain and a knee or Achilles.

 

[Phrazbit]

Our bench is okay, it is our starters that are bad right now, especially with Ayton out.

Booker is a superstar, Paul is obviously in decline but still a solid starter, Okogie and Craig are not starting quality players, nor are Jock or Biz.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Our bench is okay, it is our starters that are bad right now, especially with Ayton out.

Booker is a superstar, Paul is obviously in decline but still a solid starter, Okogie and Craig are not starting quality players, nor are Jock or Biz.

Most contending teams have a couple of bench players that could arguably be starting for a lot of teams. We don't. Yesterday, we had 3 mediocre bench players in the starting lineup so obviously our bench was even worse than usual but this is almost our new normal when you look at our injuries this season.

We weren't going to have a great bench but we were fairly deep on paper entering the season. Unfortunately the absence of Crowder plus the long term injuries of Payton and Shamet took us down a few notches. Giving away Saric for money after finally getting him healthy and playable just made it worse. Would it be a bad bench if we had everyone healthy? Probably not. But I no longer believe we'll ever spend much time being "healthy" so we have a bad bench IMO.

 

[Phrazbit]

Most contending teams have a couple of bench players that could arguably be starting for a lot of teams. We don't. Yesterday, we had 3 mediocre bench players in the starting lineup so obviously our bench was even worse than usual but this is almost our new normal when you look at our injuries this season.

We weren't going to have a great bench but we were fairly deep on paper entering the season. Unfortunately the absence of Crowder plus the long term injuries of Payton and Shamet took us down a few notches. Giving away Saric for money after finally getting him healthy and playable just made it worse. Would it be a bad bench if we had everyone healthy? Probably not. But I no longer believe we'll ever spend much time being "healthy" so we have a bad bench IMO.

I really doubt any team has dealt with the injuries en masse the way the Suns have this year. Bridges and Craig are the only 2 guys who stayed entirely healthy leading into the trade deadline, although, I think Bridges would have missed a week or 2 with his knee if he were not the NBA's iron man.

At the time of the trade: Cam Johnson had missed more than half the season, Booker missed half, Paul nearly half, Payne more than half, Shamet half of the season, Ayton 10 games.

That we were in 4th at the time of the trade is a minor miracle.

Unfortunately, without the trade we would likely be 100% healthy right now.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I really doubt any team has dealt with the injuries en masse the way the Suns have this year. Bridges and Craig are the only 2 guys who stayed entirely healthy leading into the trade deadline, although, I think Bridges would have missed a week or 2 with his knee if he were not the NBA's iron man.

At the time of the trade: Cam Johnson had missed more than half the season, Booker missed half, Paul nearly half, Payne more than half, Shamet half of the season, Ayton 10 games.

That we were in 4th at the time of the trade is a minor miracle.

Unfortunately, without the trade we would likely be 100% healthy right now.

All true.