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: Some fans have indicated they believe that Jalen Green’s return from injury could be disruptive and set the Suns back at least temporarily. What’s your opinion on this?
Ashton: I find the most disruptive element is that Green becomes a starter immediately.
Nobody knows what hammy ailment kept him out of the game for this long, except for the trainers and their reports to the higher-ups. I want to go full conspiracy theory here, as I believe that things might not be right in “Jalen Green Land”.
As far as guards, the Suns are set. There is no reason to bring him back early, but I will support a minute restriction. What type of minutes? Not starter minutes, but lets him give him a test case at about 15 to 20 per game on the road.
Providing the fans are still not being gaslighted on the extent of his injury.
OldAz: I personally have not seen this, but I will summarize my thoughts by simply saying: In Coach Ott we trust. That is a massive shift from when he was hired, but if we are honest with ourselves, he has more than earned it. He has dealt with the different personalities on the team, implemented his system on both ends, gotten them to buy in and play hard, and we have seen the results in the Win column.
While this worry can be understood from these fans (whomever they are), since they see things working pretty well and like true Suns fans, their PTSD has them looking around every corner for the next bad thing to happen to their team.
Just remember, fans have also benched and/or traded Oso, Dunn, Royce, GA, and a few others from the current roster and will spend multiple game chats still telling you why these players stink or why changes need to be made. One dude is even out there seriously proclaiming that now is the time to trade Booker. Instead, Jordan Ott has kept his own counsel on such things and ignored all of us armchair coaches and is getting good results.
I will trust him to manage the rotations and personalities and enjoy the ride while I watch from my couch.
Rod: I don’t really see this happening. He’s been with the team the whole season, has practiced with them and had plenty of time to observe and learn, so it’s going to be nothing like bringing in a new player through a trade, which often is disruptive. Green’s explosiveness and athleticism add another dimension to the starting lineup that it is currently lacking. I know that some are concerned about Collin going back to a bench role instead of starting. As much as I like Collin and his play, I think that’s the best role for him at the moment on this team.
Q2: When team owner Mat Ishbia was recently questioned about the upcoming trade deadline, he responded, “We don’t need to make a change at all. We could go do nothing at all and feel good about it.” Do you agree?
Ashton: Completely agree.
What a 180 this is. The Suns lucked into young talent that was given the opportunity to perform, and wow, have they ever!
Even though the trade calls for Nick Richards from the fanbase seem to be the most logical solution, at this point, if he can become the Suns’ best cheerleader at the end of the bench, I would not change a thing. The real trades happen in the offseason and not in the mid-season.
OldAz: Absolutely. Basketball is fun again in the Valley. The Suns are competing and winning. After the last 2 seasons, I will gladly take 82 games of a team that competes hard every night, wins more than they lose, and expects the same once the playoffs come.
Some fans are always focused only on the Championship. Heck, a few years ago (before KD), fans were fantasizing about ways to build the roster into a guaranteed champion (as if that could actually exist). That mindset is what led to the KD trade, and look at what that got us! I posted many times back then that they were already competitive (the teams with CP3, Mika,l and DA) and had already proven to be among the top 6-8 teams and could compete for a title.
This team has not proven that (yet), but they have shown the ability to compete with the top 6 in the Western Conference, and for now, that is a pretty tightly packed group. I am also impressed with Booker’s maturity since then, and recognizing the value of every player on the court being a threat in crunch time.
I am glad Ishbia likes this squad and isn’t going to blow it up chasing a star. It is a nice recovery back to where we were in the weeks and months before he took over: watching a team develop, compete, and hoping things break their way in the playoffs.
Rod: Yes, I agree. It would be great if that magical, mystical trade for a quality starting power forward for our least valuable trade assets somehow appeared but, other than that, I’d be fine with them doing nothing – or at least nothing big – at the trade deadline. If they can find a deal that allows them to shed some salary to get under the luxury tax line and maybe bring back a 2nd round draft pick, I’d consider that alone as a win.
Q3: Which team (or teams) above the Suns in the Western Conference standings do you believe are most likely to fade and fall lower as the season goes on?
Ashton: Dude, what kind of question is this? This is the most predictive question I have ever read, and I would generally roll my eyes and not respond.
But Rod is the boss and sets these questions. As it reads, I can’t pick the Suns. Even though they lost to Miami.
Okay, not picking the Thunder and Spurs. Though both teams are in the slumps.
Leaving me with Nugs, Wolves, and Fakers. They all have multiple issues due to injury or discontent. Or trade rumors.
Let’s go with LA for the win, Rod. It seems like they are a two-man squad (Luka and LeBron), and I don’t trust their depth.
One predictive measure that I can accurately measure is that Dillon Brooks will receive a technical against all five teams listed above.
OldAz: The Lakers are already showing signs of it, and I doubt that is changing unless a massive shake-up to their roster happens. I also think the Rockets’ recent struggles are not JUST about injuries while Sengun was out. We watched that same movie play out locally, and for some reason, the chemistry around KD has a habit of looking exactly like this (with apologies to KD’s army of online fanboys, and even his paper-thin skin when it comes to criticism).
I am sure the Rockets will have good stretches and will 100% make the playoffs (was also sure of this when he was with the Suns) but over the long haul, basketball is a team game and both the Lakers and Rockets have a lot of “worship me” attitudes in their locker rooms that get old fast when things are not rolling good.
I think the other 4 (OKC, DEN, SA, and even Minnesota) have staying power because of their team-first mentality and makeup. It is very possible Denver eventually fades without Joker, but I have been impressed so far with their ability to keep it together.
Rod: In no specific order, I’m picking the Nuggets, Lakers, and Rockets here. With Denver, it’s going to depend on how well they can hold out until Jokic returns. Losing Valanciunas too has made things even tougher on them. I don’t expect their fade to last beyond that, though, as they’re a really good team when healthy, and I don’t expect them to fall very far before then.
With Houston, although they had the misfortune to have the NBA schedule 23 of their first 37 games on the road (62%), they still had the 2nd easiest schedule to begin the season. The rest of their schedule ranks as the 8th toughest, which inclines me to believe they will fade and fall a bit as the season continues. I don’t expect a huge fall from them, but I do expect at least a small drop.
And as for the Lakers…well, that team has some issues which may get worse as the season goes on. Luka is still Luka, but LeBron isn’t the same LeBron he once was, and our old friend Deandre Ayton has reportedly begun to pout about his role and mentally check out at times.
LeBron’s already missed 17 of LAL’s 38 games this season, and I don’t doubt he’ll miss even more before the season ends. Both Phoenix and Portland eventually gave up on DA solving his issues, and I see no reason to believe they will suddenly disappear in LA.
They got off to a hot start, winning 15 of their first 19 games, but have been 9-9 since then, and their remaining strength of schedule (7th hardest) is more difficult than the part they’ve already played (11th easiest). I expect them to be very busy trying to engineer a trade or trades before the deadline to try to fix some of their issues. If they don’t succeed in doing so, I can easily see them being no better than a .500 team for the rest of this season and falling the most in the WC standings.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“It’s hard to do it for 82. You can have a million different excuses. Early game, back-to-back, road trips, but when your best players play hard, it’s easier to get the group to follow.” – Jordan Ott on consistency
“They have a lot of chemistry. They always up the pressure. They continue to have a high level of chemistry and the ball is hopping around and there’s no dip off when we step off the floor. We understand that is important to go where we’re trying to go and keep everybody confident and keep everybody involved and we’ll be in a good spot.” – Devin Booker on the Suns’ bench
“I think we all understand we need each other to win big. Hero-ball might be able to get you through one or two games but once it comes down to the nitty gritty, once you get deeper in the season or in the playoffs, the defense is tightening up, and you’re going to need everybody. All five guys on the court have to be a threat. I’ve been in those situations before and understand that. So the regular season is, like I keep saying, building confidence through everybody, letting us learn through mistakes, but still encouraging and if we’re open, we have to let it fly.” – Devin Booker
Suns Trivia/History
On January 16, 1996, after getting off to a disappointing 14-19 start, the Suns fired head coach Paul Westphal and brought back former head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons for his third stint at the helm. The Suns would go 27-22 for the rest of the season to finish 41-41 and make the playoffs as a 7th seed, where they lost their 1st round series with San Antonio 3-1. Cotton would resign following a 0-8 start the next season after coaching the Suns for just 61 games (including 4 playoff games) during parts of two seasons.
On January 18, 1971, Phoenix forward Paul Silas set a franchise record with 27 rebounds in a 118-99 win over the Cincinnati Royals. In doing so he broke the previous record of 24 rebounds set on Nov. 15, 1968, by George Wilson, which was also tied on Nov. 7, 1970 by… Paul Silas.
On January 19, 2016, as a rookie, Devin Booker scored 32 points in a 97-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers. It was the first game in which he scored 30 or more points in his NBA career.
On January 20, 1970, Phoenix’s Dick Van Arsdale and Cincinnati’s Tom Van Arsdale became the first brothers to play in the same All-Star Game. Dick scored eight points for the West team, while Tom scored five for the East, which won the game 142-135 in Philadelphia.
On January 22, 1968, the NBA Board of Governors granted franchises to the cities of Milwaukee and Phoenix.
This Week’s Game Schedule
Thursday, Jan 15 – Suns @ Detroit Pistons (5:00 pm)
Saturday, Jan 17 – Suns @ New York Knicks (5:30 pm) NBA TV
Monday, Jan 19 – Suns @ Brooklyn Nets (5:30 pm)
Tuesday, Jan 20 – Suns @ Philadelphia 76ers (5:00 pm)
This Week’s Valley Suns Game Schedule
Thursday, Jan 15 – Valley Suns vs Iowa Wolves (8:00 pm) ESPN+
Saturday, Jan 17 – Valley Suns @ Santa Cruz Warriors (9:00 pm)
Monday, Jan 19 – Valley Suns @ Santa Cruz Warriors (4:00 pm)
Wednesday, Jan 21 – Valley Suns vs Stockton Kings (8:00 pm) ESPN+
Important Future Dates
Feb. 5 – Trade deadline (3:00 pm ET)
Feb. 13-15 – 2026 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, CA
March 1 – Playoff eligibility waiver deadline
March 28 – NBA G League Regular Season ends
March 31 – 2026 NBA G League Playoffs begin
April 12 – Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
April 13 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
April 14-17 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
April 18 – NBA Playoffs begin
