48 hours. That’s all that stands between you, me, and Phoenix Suns basketball. Sure, preseason basketball doesn’t count toward the standings, but Monday afternoon will provide our first opportunity to see the 2026–27 Phoenix Suns in action as they take on the Detroit Pistons in the Motor City.
With every new season comes excitement. With every preseason comes curiosity. So what am I looking forward to this preseason?
Who survives the Suns’ center competition?
The battle at center will be at the heart of plenty of conversations. There will undoubtedly
be some overanalysis of every performance from Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach, and perhaps one of them will solidify his place in the starting five based on what we see throughout the five preseason games. But I’m also interested in what the minutes look like for CJ Huntley and Duop Reath.
Both are essentially fighting for an opportunity to remain with the organization during the regular season, with the ceiling perhaps being a two-way contract. I know who I’d prefer Phoenix to keep based on youth, long-term viability, and developmental upside. But ultimately, how they perform throughout training camp and the preseason could determine who remains on the roster.
Will the Suns let Koa Peat create?
Speaking of youth, this could be our first opportunity to see first-round pick Koa Peat in a Suns uniform. And seeing as it’s the preseason, especially during these first three games, we should see plenty of him.
I’m interested in what role he’ll ultimately be asked to play because Peat possesses the ability to handle the ball, even from the power forward position. Will the Suns allow him to explore that part of his game, or will they ask him to fulfill a specific role within their scheme that doesn’t necessarily complement everything he can do as a prospect?
Think about Ryan Dunn. Dunn showcased during Summer League that when he’s allowed to be more aggressive with the ball, he can get downhill and be effective. But that isn’t the role he’s asked to play with the Suns. He’s primarily a three-and-D player, somebody who spaces the floor, hits three-pointers, and isn’t asked to dribble very often. Peat is somewhat similar, although he hasn’t shown an affinity for shooting the three-ball, much like Dunn hadn’t coming out of Virginia.
So throughout the preseason, I’ll be interested to see what role the young rookie is given and how the Suns begin utilizing the different aspects of his skill set.
What does continuity actually look like?
The corporate buzzword this offseason, and rightfully so, has been “continuity”. If you look across a long enough timeline, however, this team hasn’t possessed much of it. The longest-tenured players outside of Devin Booker are Oso Ighodaro, Ryan Dunn, and Collin Gillespie, all entering their third seasons with Phoenix.
But there is continuity from last season, and as the preseason progresses into the fourth and fifth games, when rotations and minutes begin stabilizing in preparation for the regular season, it will be interesting to see what that continuity actually looks like on the court.
Connectivity and comfort should be natural byproducts of having players who spent last season together. Still, 20% of the starting lineup has changed with the addition of Miles Bridges, while another 20% is currently injured in Mark Williams. So continuity exists, but not necessarily within the confines of the roles and expectations these players will have this season.
With the influx of youth, that continuity will have to be directed from the top and become something tangible as the preseason progresses into the regular season.
The results won’t matter, but the clues will. We’ll begin learning who wins the center battle, how Peat fits into the developmental puzzle, whether Huntley or Reath can force their way into the organization’s plans, and what continuity actually looks like when roles begin changing. Five preseason games won’t answer every question. They shouldn’t. But after months of projecting what this team could become, we finally get to watch the answers begin revealing themselves.
