Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team.
Each week the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: What are your overall impressions of the Suns following their first preseason game?
GuarGuar: I was ecstatic after watching our first game against the Lakers. We looked like we had an identity and that’s all I can ask for. We were hustling all over the place, playing with great pace, and crashing the offensive glass every possession. We dominated the possession battle, something we lost almost every night last season. I really think Ott may be something special. He’s got a quiet confidence about him, and he’s clearly very smart.
Ashton: First, I just want to clarify that I received these questions on a Saturday after the game. There used to be a common insult. “Did you even watch the game?”. Well, no, I did not. Sorry, hardcore Sun’s fans. I am going to fail on these questions. I would have preferred to give you all the eyeball analysis on in-game research.
I watched Mercury and Aces from the beginning. And saw more star-power on the University of Arizona’s “Red Blue showcase” scrimmage than what the Lakers had on the court.
Did I watch the game? No. But I am not going to sit here and BS you all with something that I read from previous reviews and box scores. I would just be parroting. I still think John Voita had the best game recap article, among the ones I have read.
I would still take a cautionary tone. GSW beat the Lakers with Steph Curry handily. But my full analysis is to just point to the scoreboard and have some hope.
OldAz: Admittedly, I only watched about a quarter and a half (it was preseason with no Green, LeBron, or Luka playing!) simply to see some of the newcomers. I loved the constant movement on both offense and defense, but I was most impressed with the effort and energy. I do think they will be out-talented on many (most?) nights this season, but they showed more desire and passion in a meaningless pre-season game than they showed in at least 80% of their games the last 2 seasons. This is encouraging and makes me want to tune in and see their development.
Then again, I watched every minute of that keystone cops display by the Cardinals last Sunday and almost every putrid game the Suns played last season, so I am probably watching most Suns games the last 2 years, so I was likely tuning in anyway. I just get the feeling that it will be far more enjoyable knowing the players might care half as much as we fans do.
Rod: First and foremost, they were just plain fun to watch. They hustled, defended, and ran an actual offense that had a lot of movement instead of four guys standing around watching one guy play iso-ball like last year. Last year, I pretty much knew what was going to happen every time the the Suns were on offense it was monotonous and just hard to watch at times but this game was full of pleasant surprises.
Q2: Which player (or players) impressed you the most in the first preseason game?
GuarGuar: I was pretty impressed with the way we used Oso in that first game. He didn’t have a crazy good game or something, but we had him bringing the ball up and attacking bigs off the dribble quite a bit. That’s definitely a skillset we didn’t see much of last year, so it was pretty cool to see.
Ashton: There was one box score impression that stood out that I would not exactly call impressive. But it impressed me.
DA. He scored one point. 8 rebounds in 18 minutes. But add it up, that is basically 2 points and 16 rebounds over 40 minutes.
Look, I am reaching here on a game I did not watch, but one point? Oh, DA, never change. Your teammates do not even know how to give you the ball to finish. And, no, you can’t pass to yourself.
Booker might try it, though.
If I had to pick one, give it to GA for standing tall with Jalen Green out. If Green is still managing injuries into the regular season, then a GA to Book to GA could be a possibility.
OldAz: Again, only watched about a quarter and a half, so I missed a lot of the Maluach minutes, but I was impressed with Nigel Hayes Davis. He just looked fluid and comfortable and really looks like a strong addition. I also liked what Brooks brought, but that is what he has always been and exactly what I expected to feel with him on “my” team. He will be big for setting a new culture (effort, energy, tenacity) that is badly needed.
Rod: Right off the bat, Grayson Allen caught my attention. With Green out and GA getting the starting nod, he looked very good on the court. Livelier and smoother than last season, especially when handling the ball and initiating the offense. And of course, his three-ball is still there. Right no,w I want to hear no more talk about trading him.
Dillon Brooks also impressed me with how well he seemed to mesh with everyone else on both ends of the court. If his three-point shooting holds up over the season, he’s going to turn out to be an even better addition to the team than I had originally anticipated, as he’ll be a plus player on both ends of the court.
Nigel Hayes-Davis looks like he’s also going to be a very nice addition to the team. Very smart player that doesn’t shy away from the dirt-work and has a nice overall game that helps him fit into whatever role the Suns need him to play.
Despite his 5 turnovers, I liked the aggressiveness of Jared Butler, especially driving into the paint. He’s got the quickness this team needs and could be a good depth player that still has some upside potential.
Q3: Were you surprised that Ott started Oso Ighodaro at center?
GuarGuar: It wasn’t that surprising to me that Oso started given Mark was out. I think there’s a very real chance that he’s our backup center to start the season. I think he’s better than Nick, and if Khaman isn’t ready yet, I think Oso will start as the primary backup. He offers a switchability on defense that none of our other bigs can offer, and I think Ott values that a lot.
Ashton: It looks to me like it was a good call. Against an extremely under-manned LA team that had DA in the C position. With Mark Williams out, starting Oso is probably one way to start up the Nick Richards trade rumor mill.
I think I will be more surprised as the season goes on, who is the most effective at center. I expect a lot of mix-and-match depending on the matchup.
But give the sophomore his flowers in preseason. And with a few posters calling for him to play power forward, it certainly seems like he can man center.
OldAz: Not really. It is pre-season, and the obvious starter is being brought along slowly to (hopefully) maximize how many games he plays this season. Beyond that, Richards is a backup, Maluach is young and not ready, and they were playing a team in the Lakers that does not have that big, bruising, physical center.
Ott might as well experiment and see how Oso fits with various lineups. If he doesn’t use this time to find out what Oso can bring, then it might become very easy to overlook him when the real games start. Oso also appears to be a good fit for the motion offense they are trying to install.
Rod: I was a little surprised, but pleasantly so because I assumed Ott would start Richards instead. I like Oso and thing his versatility, mobility and passing skill made him a better overall choice in this game. Sure he has less length and shot blocking ability than the other choices but shot blocking isn’t the only measure of good defense. Oso has a high BB IQ and I think that makes him a good fit with what the Suns are out to do this year.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“It won’t be one specific guy being the quote-unquote point guard.” – Grayson Allen
“There was a lot of talk that it’s a different game between EuroLeague and the NBA. Of course it is. But for me, I just need to play basketball and do what I do. I think the way I play basketball on both sides of the ball works in either league, on any continent.” – Nigel Hayes-Davis
“I think our total team identity and how we’re looking to play offensively and defensively is very different than how we did the last two years. A lot of that comes from different personnel. A lot of that comes from the league changing and looking at what successful teams have done the past two years.” – Grayson Allen
Suns Trivia/History
On October 8, 2018, the Suns fired former GM Ryan McDonough shortly before the season began and appointed James Jones and Trevor Bukstein as interim co-GMs.
On October 9, 1972, the Suns waived SG/SF John Wetzel, who was picked up by the Atlanta Hawks. Three years later, the Suns reacquired Wetzel by claiming him after he was waived by the Hawks on Oct. 24, 1975.
On October 11, 2008, in a preseason match-up, Denver beat Phoenix 77-72 at the Indian Wells (California) Tennis Garden. The game is noteworthy because it was the first NBA game played outdoors in three decades.
On October 12, 1979, Don Buse made Phoenix Suns history with Phoenix’s first-ever 3-pointer late in the first quarter of the 1979-80 opener against Golden State. He made two in one minute, and Paul Westphal hit two in the 3rd quarter, each finishing 2-2. Alvin Scott went 0-1 and Phoenix finished 4-5 on threes as the Suns beat Golden State 97-89 at home.
Important Future Dates
Oct. 10 – Preseason game vs Brooklyn Nets (China)
Oct. 12 – Preseason game vs Brooklyn Nets (China)
Oct. 14 – Preseason game vs LA Lakers @ Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 20 – Rosters set for NBA Opening Day (5 p.m. ET)
Oct. 21 – Regular Season Begins
Oct. 25 – 2025 NBA G League Draft (1 p.m. ET)
Oct. 27 – Nov. 6 – NBA G League Training Camps open
Nov. 6 – Rosters set for NBA G League Opening Day (5 p.m. ET)
Nov. 7 – NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament begins
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Feb. 5 – Trade deadline (3:00 pm ET)
Feb. 13-15 – 2026 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, CA
