Well, that was a brutal Game 1 in the Thunder/Suns series! I could make excuses like how the Suns were without starting center Mark Williams, and Grayson Allen is still too hurt to trust. I could point out that the Thunder are healthy and have been resting for over a week. The Suns beat the Warriors, hopped on a plane, flew to Oklahoma City, and then had about a day to mentally and physically prepare to take on the defending champs. All of those are factors, sure, but I think back to what Dillon
Brooks wrote about in his article “No Way in Hell They Wanna See Us” in the Player’s Tribune.
He described this Suns team as the monster under the bed. There was more to it than just having players who scare others. A theme was that players like Brooks were doubted, and they used that motivation to instill fear in the league. That’s what they need to re-capture. Let’s consider what a lot of the Suns players have no doubt heard about themselves, a villain origin story, if you will.
Dillon Brooks
Let’s start with the inspiration behind the article!
Narrative: He is just a just a defender. He will be out of the league and playing in China. He can’t control himself. He poked the bear. His mouth writes checks his game can’t cash. The most “punchable face in the league”. He is a “negative to every team he has been on…”.
Truth: Brooks brought a hustle and confidence this Suns team has not had since Chris Paul helped guide them to the NBA finals. He set a career-high in scoring and can channel his energy into the game to help his teammates. The Suns needed this pitbull of a player who knows how to fight.
Devin Booker
Narrative: Empty stats player. Can’t hit three’s unless it is in the All-Star game. A weak defender. Not a leader. Often injured. Can’t handle the double team. Point Book doesn’t work. He is too tentative and won’t take over a game.
Truth: Devin Booker is the leader of the Suns. He has averaged over 21 points per game for 10 straight seasons. He doesn’t force shots and will dish to open teammates to the tune of 6 assists a game. He is one of the top players in the game. Oh, he is totally homegrown as well. The #13 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, he has spent 11 seasons and counting with the Phoenix Suns. If you need a basket to win the game, you go to Book.
Jalen Green
Narrative: A bust! He is too streaky. He can’t hit the 3 consistently. Worst defender in the league. Can’t stay healthy. Fails in the playoffs
Truth: Jalen did have terrible luck with injuries this year, but he is finally healthy now. He had huge games in the Play-In tournament, nearly sealing the win against the Blazers and then pummeling the Warriors to make the playoffs. He is averaging a career-high in steals per game and has turned his athleticism into a major asset on the defensive end.
Mark Williams
Narrative: Dude is made of glass. Poor defender. Only a rim runner. The Lakers actually got cold feet and rescinded a trade for him, leading them later to believe DeAndre Ayton is better.
Truth: Mark has played a career-high 60 games this season. His defense has been much improved as well. His motor is far better than Ayton’s, and he doesn’t play nearly as soft with fadeaway jumpers that Ayton seemed to love.
Grayson Allen
Narrative: Dirty player. All he can do is shoot 3’s. Overpaid. Trade him!
Truth: No player had more Twitter fans calling for a trade than Grayson. In response, he sets a franchise game record for most three’s made in a game and sets career highs in assists per game and steals per game. Grayson can do a little bit of everything and torch the net while doing it.
Royce O’Neale
Narrative: He is undrafted for a reason. Too small to play forward and too slow to play anything else. A streaky shooter. Only brought in because he is friends with Durant from the Brooklyn days. Trade him!
Truth: “Big Meal” O’Neale is a Swiss army knife for the Suns. He agitates bigger players and is long enough to stay in front of most guards. He set career highs in three-point shooting percentage and steals per game.
Collin Gillespie
Narrative: Who?? This guy is a cast-off, minimum contract hustle guy. Couldn’t stay with the Nuggets, and they didn’t even have a true point guard. Undrafted for a reason.
Truth: Collin is the Villain Jr. to Brooks. He has career highs in points, steals, and assists this season. He now holds the Suns franchise record for most three-pointers made in a single season.
Jordan Goodwin
Narrative: Not this guy again! He couldn’t hang with the Suns last time. He can’t hit a three-point shot. All he does is play defense. Undrafted for a reason! Should have kept Jared Butler.
Truth: Goodwin has continued his three-point shooting success from last year with the Lakers. He is one of the top rebounding guards in the game and has matched a career high in 1.5 steals per game while doing that in 7 fewer minutes per game. Goodwin has become a massive fan favorite, and his energy is infectious.
Oso Ighodaro
Narrative: Who?? This guy isn’t on anyone’s draft boards. He is blocking Maluach’s playing time. He is getting owned inside, and he can’t shoot outside. Terrible push shot.
Truth: There might be no player that Suns Planet Podcast fan KingNacho says we should get rid of more than Oso. However, what if I told you he is having a career year in points, shooting %, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks? Oh, he stayed healthy and played all 82 games. For a 2nd round pick, Oso has been phenomenal as a backup big!
Jordan Ott
Narrative: Who?? This man has no head coaching experience. He runs bad rotations. Too in love with the small ball. Not another Michigan State guy…
Truth: Ott would have been a coach of the year candidate had the Suns stayed healthy. He helped put the team in a position to play aggressive and grinding defense. A major upgrade over Bud and Vogel.
So, what Jake? So, some people doubted these guys.
That, my friends, is the essence of this Sun’s magical season. A lot of these players have been given second chances of sorts. We had some tremendous excitement with this team earlier in the season. We were defying all expectations and succeeding.
Then injuries piled up. Key players didn’t have time to gel. Now they face some adversity, and they are afraid of blowing it.
They need to share the fear with each other, become friends with it, and put that fear into the Thunder.
Steal a game in OKC, win another in Phoenix. We could see the OKC foundation crack a little. I am not predicting we win the series. However, I want to see these villains show they belong. They need to play hard, play smart, and be near perfect. That’s what will change the mood of the series.
It reminds me of that scene in Rocky IV when Rocky cuts the Russian. The Suns need to prove they are the monster under the bed to themselves again. That’s how they show they each deserved this second chance.
No pain, no pain!
