The Phoenix Suns have a few new faces, but return the majority of their core from a season ago. Jordan Ott has the tough task of figuring out how to best mix and match this group.
The Suns are on a mission to figure out who to keep and who to give minutes in the rotation on a deep squad. Everything else is just noise.
Context: This trio was hand-selected BEFORE the opening preseason game in Detroit. I will not let one preseason game filled with experimentation sway my opinion too strongly here. We
still have four more of these things to go before the regular-season opener.
Here’s who we should all be focused on, outside of the young(er) fellas.
1) Pat Spencer
Pat Spencer played the LEAST amount of minutes on the team in the preseason opener, so I feel good about keeping him number one on this list. He received 7 total minutes and was not much of a factor, attempting just two shots and splitting a pair of free throws for 1 point.
His time will come in the preseason to get a fair look, but ultimately it’s important to remember that he is on a two-way contract. It is unlikely that he will receive playing time in a perfect world where everyone is healthy.
But the reality is, injuries happen. And when they do, Pat Spencer will be ready to go. It’s in his DNA.
2) Haywood Highsmith
Call me crazy, but I still believe in Haywood Highsmith. At least as a useful rotation piece, nothing crazy or anything.
He has battled through a lot and is clearly not 100% the old version of himself, and that’s okay for now. They have the depth for him to build back up to where he needs to be in the meantime.
Highsmith is likely in a battle for the final roster spot with Jamaree Bouyea at this point. Everything points to it being between those two, barring an injury.
He had a rough preseason debut, recording 5 turnovers in 16 minutes, but did rack up 4 boards and connected on his only shot attempt. Let’s see if he can shake off the rust going forward.
3) Ryan Dunn
It’s easy to forget about Ryan Dunn after he flatlined a bit a season ago. It was not the sophomore season many had hoped for, especially offensively.
A rough preseason opener could have many of you already “out” on him. And I wouldn’t blame you. But it’s important to not overreact to one game, especially in the preseason where the rotations and lineups get shuffled, and the play gets sloppy as players shake off rust. But there comes a point where you gain enough of a sample size to combine with the track record to form strong opinions on players, and that puts Dunn on an uphill climb.
The battle between him, Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat for minutes will be an interesting storyline to track this season.
They’ve raved about his work ethic, but that’s not enough. Dunn has to show improvement and production to get minutes. Plain and simple.
HM: Jamaree Bouyea
The Skinny: Bouyea will see plenty more run this preseason as Phoenix decides whether or not they will keep him or Highsmith. With Pat Spencer on a two-way contract, it feels like, from a roster flexibility and positional need perspective, that HH has the upper hand, but there is still plenty of basketball to be played until a decision is made.
