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 are adamant in their belief that the Suns will not be able to significantly improve the team in the near future without trading away some of their better players to obtain more draft picks and/or younger players with higher potential for growth. Do you agree or disagree with this?
GuarGuar: We are very limited with our assets, so if we are gonna improve this team, it’s either through internal development or trading our current players. I’d like to see if this group can make the playoffs and do some damage first before leaning either way on what to do, but the only real moves
we can make are player trades this offseason.
Diamondhacks: It’s difficult to ‘significantly improve’ and more difficult to pull it off two years in a row, irrespective of rebuilds or resets conjured from the confines of adamant fans’ basements. Many theoretical strands inform that difficulty, under an umbrella perhaps too broadly labeled “regression”.
Yes, the Suns are the ninth oldest roster (basketball reference) but also feature physically promising novices and, as this above .500 season illustrates, there are unexpected paths toward ‘significant improvement’. It’s just that once you get there, fueled largely by moxie, there are typically more paths toward everything else, regardless of anyone’s best laid plans.
Ashton: I assume that is a question on Jalen Green’s trade return value. I have already put myself on the record within previous Fantable discussions. I would support Green’s development around a solid starting five.
But, as a nod to some commentators, I would not take him off the trade table until I am actually able to see Green’s value with a starting lineup and what role he is actually expected to play. Facilitator? Driver?
Or he recently just tried to put the Suns team on his shoulders and failed miserably at it. Let’s just see what he does with starter-caliber players.
Beyond that? What? Mark Williams is in a bit of a slump, but still respect that he shows up to basically every single game. I did not expect that. And no poster would trade Brooks and his technical fouls.
Suns just need to secure MW and CG contracts.
OldAz: Dunn was a late first, Fleming was an early 2nd. I have often said that the NBA draft is a total crap shoot and a team’s commitment to developing young players has always been more important. For years, the Suns have been terrible at this, while teams like the Miami Heat have often had multiple undrafted free agents contributing to winning.
With the success of players like Colin Gillespie and Jamaree Bouyea, along with the developmental focus applied to Oso, Dunn, Fleming, and Maluach give me a lot of hope that the Suns now get this. If so, then getting more or better draft picks is less important than hitting on those picks they do have and maximizing the minimum signing made to fill out the team.
Trading established players just for picks is just not a path I am a fan of. Maybe I will be more in favor of this path once they prove to be successful (on a sustained basis) in developing that drafted talent.
Rod: As John Voita pointed out a few days ago, Brian Gregory has already done a really good job rebuilding/retooling the Suns since his arrival and I don’t expect him to suddenly lose his knack or finding hidden/overlooked treasures. While there is no guarantee that he will continue to be as successful in the future, that in itself is no reason to suddenly shift coarse and head off in a different direction.
Their success this year has largely been due to how well they’ve functioned as a team rather than relying upon any one or two players to carry the majority of the load. They’re maybe one or two pieces away from becoming an even better team and I think it makes more sense to ride this strategy out for at least another year, especially since one of those missing pieces (PF) may already be on the team (Fleming).
Q2: Dillon Brooks is expected to be out until at least March 28 and possibly even two weeks more than that. If it’s left up to him to make the decision, what’s your best guess at when he’ll return?
GuarGuar: I think he will return right before the regular season ends. I’m expecting an early April start back from him as it’s his off hand, not his shooting hand. He’s a competitor, and when he heals enough that playing isn’t a risk of reinjury, he will immediately be back. He’s too competitive.
Diamondhacks: This question has several parts, none of which capitalize on my catalog of imagined insights. I’m not an orthopedist, nor do I understand what makes Dillon tick. Perhaps someone more sold on Brooks might speak to his “return policy”?
Ashton: Oh, this is an easy question.
Brooks will enter the regular season two games before the Play-In or playoff designation for the NBA teams.
He can grab two more technicals and have it all wiped out on post season. He will use them. Unless he breaks his hand again.
OldAz: Since this question was asked before Friday’s news, but published after, I would say it will be about 2 days later than Dillon Brooks “decides”. In answer to the question, if it is solely left up to him, he will be back as soon as possible and even declare himself ready a few games early just so he can serve whatever suspension the league hands down. I believe it will probably be close to the March 28th date to give him 9 games or so to get back into game shape and ready for any playoff run. Players always want to play, regardless of the health questions. This is especially true when it comes to playoff time.
Rod: My impression of Brooks leads me to believe that he’ll be back sooner rather than later, and he’ll probably be pushing the medical staff to clear him even before March 28. There was a scene in Black Hawk Down in which the soldiers were preparing to head back into Mogadishu and one guy with a broken arm ripped off his cast before returning to the fight with his buddies. I just get that kind of vibe from Brooks and feel as though it’s going to be hard to keep off the court any longer than is absolutely necessary.
Q3: Who do you consider to be the most undervalued Suns player by the fans?
GuarGuar: This is a tough question. I’m not quite sure who we underrate in this fanbase exactly, but I’ll go with Royce O’Neale. Yes, his defense is really bad at times, and he can be a liability when the shot isn’t falling. But it’s super valuable to have a stretch forward with deep catch and shoot range, and isn’t lacking confidence. Not to mention he’s shooting a great percentage, too. He’s experienced and brings some stability to this team night in and night out, and fits really well offensively next to Booker.
Diamondhacks: Despite an alarming performance drop-off, I’d say fans’ most undervalued Sun over the entire season is still Mark Williams, whose most verifiable sin to date is miserably failing to be Hakeem Olajuwon. Instead, all this lethargic disappointment’s managed to cobble together is to lead the entire team in Win Shares, Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating, and get to the line more per FG attempt than anyone not named Booker. Oh, and he’s our best offensive rebounder and best defensive rebounder, by sheer volume and rate (TRB%), and gets more steals per minute than Brooks, Booker, or Fleming.
But to hear some, Mark needs to make way more angry faces, bark like a dog, and take three times as many bad shots – like their intrepid hero, Dillon Brooks – to be considered anywhere quite so central to our success.
Ashton: Probably the one person I have not commented on a lot is Rasheer TyLee Fleming. The fans like him, but he was in a seven-team trade involving the Wolves. That is seven teams that took a pass, except the Suns.
A second round pick out of A-10s conference, and raise your hand if you watched Saint Joseph’s, he also gained conference accolades…
You know let me just wiki it.
“He was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 after averaging 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.”
And this is why NBA hoop heads (Word tried to auto-correct me to hop-heads. Not wrong based on game chat conversations) should pay attention to the college game and the draft picks. Even if the Suns do not have a pick in the first round, it is worth monitoring on future player trades.
OldAz: Currently, it is Mark Williams, but then again, the starting center always seems to be undervalued by this fanbase. We also tend to fall in love with the backup, and build them up in our minds to be the second coming of Kareem or Bill Russell. Everyone wants to see counting stats from the center, but that is not how modern basketball works. Because of this Fans clamor for 5 players who can put up the most individual stats, when in reality the most important thing is how the team performs.
As long as the Suns are going to play so small, they need a center like Williams to anchor the middle and allow Oso to be a main hub with the bench unit. Neither of their counting stats are going to get them in the All-NBA conversation, but their contributions to winning are vital. That’s all that matters to me.
Rod: I’m going with Royce O’Neale on this one. He’s been asked to play out of position all season long and, while it hasn’t been a roaring success, it hasn’t been a dismal failure either. Royce has had his good moments and his bad, but he’s soldiered on without a complaint. I think he’s been a good teammate and mentor to some of the younger guys too. Just the fact that Jordan Ott trusts him in the role he plays also says a lot to me. Say whatever you want about him but he’s led the Suns in total minutes played this season (1808) which isn’t bad for the team’s “old guy”.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“The biggest thing for me when I’m out there is just to remind myself to have fun. It’s basketball at the end of the day. That kind of relieves any thoughts I’m thinking about, if I’m worried about making any mistakes.” – Rasheer Fleming
“He (Rasheer Fleming) works hard every day and I think you’re going to see more and more each time that he steps on the floor.” – Jalen Green
I feel like it’s coming back slowly but surely. That’s all part of it. People been talking about missing shots and that’s all just part of it. Just got to keep shooting.” – Jalen Green
“We’ve focused on winning in the margins this year. Doing all the little things over the course of a whole season led to getting some good wins. Happy with where we’re at, but I think we’ve shown that we kind of belong. So we need to win some more games.” – Grayson Allen
“Nothing better than playing basketball, man. It’s tough watching.” – Devin Booker
“He’s (Khaman Maluach) been thrown into the fire at a young age. He can do nothing but grow from here.” – Devin Booker
Suns Trivia/History
On March 8, 2020, Ricky Rubio had his second triple-double of the season (25 pts, 13 rebs & 13 asts) in possibly his best game as a Sun as Phoenix beat the Milwaukee Bucks 140-131. The Suns had four players who scored 20+ points in the game (Rubio 25, Booker 36, Mikal Bridges 21 & Aron Baynes 24) plus two more in double figures (Dario Saric 11 & Jevon Carter 12).
On March 9, 2003, three-time All-Star “Thunder Dan” Majerle was placed in the Phoenix Suns’ Ring of Honor. Majerle played 8 seasons for the Suns, 7 at the beginning of his NBA career, and the 8th was his last in the league following stints in Cleveland (1 season) and Miami (5 seasons). He averaged 13.5 pts, 4.7 rebs, 3.1 asts, and 1.4 steals per game for the Suns and hit 36.4% from three for the Suns and is 11th on the Suns’ All-Time leaders in points scored (8,034), 5th in steals (811), and 3rd in three-pointers made (800).
On March 11, 2008, Shaq cleared the Suns’ bench while going after a loose ball.
On March 12, 2020, the NBA suspended the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The season would not resume until July in the Orlando “bubble” where the Suns would go 8-0 and just barely miss making the playoffs/play-in tournament.
On March 14, 2007, the 49-14 Suns met the 52-10 Dallas Mavericks in a match-up where both teams were fighting for the top seed in the Western conference and Steve Nash was going for his third consecutive MVP award against Dirk Nowitzki. Though the Suns won the game in double overtime, the Mavericks would finish with the West’s top seed at 67-15, and Nowitzki would narrowly win the MVP award over of Nash.
This Week’s Game Schedule
Sunday, March 8 – Suns vs Charlotte Hornets (8:00 pm) Peacock
Tuesday, March 10 – Suns @ Milwaukee Bucks (6:00 pm)
Thursday, March 12 – Suns @ Indiana Pacers (5:00 pm)
Friday, March 13 – Suns @ Toronto Raptors (5:30 pm)
This Week’s Valley Suns Game Schedule
Saturday, March 7 – Valley Suns @ Rip City Remix (4:00 pm)
Monday, March 9 – Valley Suns @ Wisconsin Herd (5:30 pm) Prime Video
Thursday, March 12 – Valley Suns @ Windy City Bulls (6:00 pm)
Important Future Dates
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
