Calendars have moved from pumpkins to turkeys. Retail stores already have trees and lots of red and green. Your friends and family will start, if they haven’t already, asking what you’d like to have this year. If you have kids or grandkids, they’re probably telling you all on their own.
Your local NBA team is off to a rough start. But even if they lose Monday against the Warriors, at 1-4 they would match the “out of the gate” record last year from…eventual champion New York. Things had to happen to transform
the Knicks’ start into the ultimate success. Which brings me back to the topic of wish lists. What do I want to see by December 25th from the Phoenix Suns to get the team back on a more positive trajectory?
For starters, how about starters? I’d like to see two changes in the starting five. One that has gained traction in recent days is a move to Collin Gillespie at point guard.
He plays smart, provides a shooting threat, and sets a tone from the effort perspective.
The second change would be to get Oso Ighodaro into the starting lineup. That one may not fully count as he was already there pre-injury. We are a much more cohesive unit with Oso and Collin joining Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Miles Bridges. Khaman Maluach is still developing, with some nice moments. His confidence can grow at a nice pace by getting significant minutes off the bench. He has done well in spurts, but has some breakdowns. Oso struggles at the line, and this would get him fewer minutes late in quarters when teams are often over the foul limit. Oso and/or Collin were in each of our top-6 best net rating duos last season, as shown in my article on the offseason.
This one might be a more difficult wish, like asking Santa for a new sports car. I’d like Jalen Green to accept, make that embrace, a move to Sixth Man. Think Leandro Barbosa, Jamal Crawford, or Lou Williams. He could play freely, with less competition for shots, playing more minutes with Jordan Goodwin, Ryan Dunn, and Maluach. Having more success this way could also showcase him, increasing stock value from its current state should the Suns want to trade him.
That brings me to my next wish. I hope the team identifies multiple target players for a deal ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. One target results in less leverage. Ideally, these players are a proven commodity with some length. Someone you could see being part of a contending team over the next couple of years. That could be a tricky one. Feel free to fire up the trade machine in the chat. My goal is that Phoenix is in a position by Christmas to start creating buzz through NBA sources and agents. Probably Jalen Green, possibly grouped with Rasher Fleming. Here’s a sample return that works after December 15, and would also clear $6 of cap space:
I ask for Devin Booker to turn it around. There are 24 games from now until then. He’s seemed out of sorts, frustrated, possibly less athletic, and we all see those gray hairs starting to pop. But he’s just 30, skilled, and I think in his own head right now. Most are still rooting hard for him to succeed, and perhaps the lineup change mentioned above will get him on the right track over that stretch of games.
Lastly, I want to see Jordan Ott take additional steps toward being a solid NBA coach. The lineup moves above would be a step in that direction.
What are the top criticisms in the Bright Side comments? Rotation rigidity, a disconnected defense, and too much small ball. I think of other great coaches and how they will ride a hot hand, pull players lacking effort or missing assignments, and match up with size when needed. He has the opportunity to adapt here. On a more connected defense, with the Suns giving up more than 120 points in every game so far, this may mean ratcheting up the pressure on assistant coaches and getting in the face of a few players. That style doesn’t work anymore when applied all the time, but could be effective in well-placed spurts. With Oso back, there is no reason we shouldn’t have him or Khaman on the court at all times.
Much like the holidays, now we wait and see. Did we get what we asked for? Will it be that sweater you’ll never wear? Maybe, just maybe, these wishes come true, and it will be a season to remember.
