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: Should the Suns attempt to trade for a power forward now or be patient and wait to see how Rasheer Fleming develops?
Ashton: I have read an interesting quote from Steve Kerr that I actually agree with concerning “Big Men”. If you include the Power Forward position in the “Big Men” category, it applies.
“(Kerr) believes that the wear and tear, the speed, the pace, the mileage is factoring into these injuries.”
Now,
the is in regard to centers but be patient. Fleming is doing well in G League, and you need younger players to develop at the pace of the game. You can’t defend the post and then expect them to range out 25 feet to defend a three point shoot with older legs,
Pass on the trade idea. Let Fleming develop.
OldAz: Why would they need a power forward? All great teams go decades without one and then rely on a 2nd round pick to develop and be the “answer” at the position to provide defense, rebounding and an offensive threat. (That was sarcasm, in case my wife is reading this).
There are 48 minutes a game and even if Fleming became the second coming of Charles Barkley or Kevin Garnett overnight he would still only play 25-30 minutes a game so having another real PF on the roster would be a benefit. The Suns have simply ignored the position for so long that we somehow convince ourselves that they can just roll out a small forward against bigger players and make it work. On the other hand, teams are simply not out there giving away starting quality (or even rotational) power forwards for whatever package of cast-offs the Suns want to offer.
So, Yes, the Suns should ATTEMPT to trade for a power forward to help the team now and in the future even if Fleming should develop, but they also have to be smart in what they are willing to give up. There is just no telling if the lack of finding a true PF the last decade or two was about the front office not seeing the need, or simply not being able to find a good fit at the right price. Gregory should try to close this gap, but at this point he has also earned the benefit of the doubt for this season on evaluating the available options.
Rod: To get a starting level power forward that would really make a difference would take trading away a player or players that could also nullify the value of the incoming player. That why I’m content to wait and see what we have with Fleming before making a rash move to attempt to get better quickly.
Exploring a smaller trade for someone who could be a useful backup PF is another matter though and worth looking into. The Suns need more size but just size won’t do it. There needs to be some skill/talent to go along with that size which makes even this smallish move being successful unlikely unless the Suns are willing to trade away someone valuable.
At some point in the season, I expect Fleming will get his shot on the big stage and it might be closer than we think. I also thin Maluach could get some minutes in later in the year at the 4 spot if the Suns want to go really big up front.
I want to see the Suns win as much as anyone but I also don’t want them to make any rash moves that could derail the progress they’ve already made in pursuit of a shortcut back into contention that could just as easily backfire.
Q2: Over the last 4 games, many of Collin Gillespie’s stats have dropped significantly compared to those from his previous games this season. Why do you think this has occurred?
Ashton: The dude has been Superman with our depleted guard unit.
This may be more of a mental thing while he adjusts to Book back in the lineup and whenever Green returns.
Let’s just say that I am not that worried about it. Nobody is going to be over-asserted against Book. But when the Sun’s backs are against the wall, I am looking for CG to carry the day if he can carry himself with confidence.
OldAz: It’s one thing to perform when you are not on the other teams radar or play prominently in their advanced scouting. Gillespie run of double digit games and increased role in the starting lineup made sure that he was now on page 1 of that scouting report. Having Booker out for a week or more only ensured he was on the top half of page 1. That extra attention by NBA defenses is going to have an impact on any young player.
As the Suns get healthy and Green returns Collin should naturally drop back to a secondary option off the bench, and also fall back to a secondary or tertiary position in the opponent’s game plan. That does not mean that his ceiling has been reached. It will simply be up to him to continue to be a menace in whatever the role the Suns can give him and adjust to the extra attention that the defense throws at him.
There is no shame in being an effective 6th man/floor general off the bench but it will be up to Collin to determine if that is who he is or if he will continue to exceed expectations and force his way to the top of opponents scouting reports going forward.
Rod: When the season started, other teams likely didn’t give him much thought in their pregame prep for the Suns. That has obviously changed as Collin has proven to be a player they can’t afford to not plan for. Add to that the fact that Collin move from the bench into the starting lineup where he’s facing better defenders overall than when he was coming off the bench earlier in the season and the fall off in his stats becomes even more understandable.
Q3: With almost one third of the season behind them, the Suns have 56 games left to play. Oddly, half of those games (28) will be played against Eastern Conference teams. Do you believe this will play have any effect on how well they perform during the rest of this season?
Ashton: Let’s do a golf clap and a tip of the hat for making it this far in the Suns regular season.
I would have applauded a .500 season and expected a losing record against this brutal scheduling.
But the East Coast has put up some surprising teams of their own. The Knicks are solid. Magic and Celtics are surprises. Do not forget about the Cavs.
I now expect a three game above .500 mark for the Suns when all is said and done. Maybe a little more.
Final Note: We will see if taskmaster Rod wants to drop next week’s Fantable on the holidays with JV’s edits. My guess is that we will be back for the holidays. If nothing else, to get out from being buried under relatives.
Happy Holidays all!
OldAz: Unless it is the Thunder across from them, I think the Suns playing their style of defense and aggressive basketball will be the #1 factor in how they do. It is simply hard for other NBA teams to put forth that level of consistent effort for a regular season game. I do think playing the Eastern conference will help some as the Suns are still not a team the opponent is circling on their calendar and getting up to put forth their best effort on the odd Tuesday of a long season. They also won’t get the “payback” effect like we saw from the Lakers after the Suns embarassed them at home a few weeks ago. The Suns will ultimately determine how well they play by putting forth maximum effort for 48 minutes, but having the other team come in unwilling or unable to match that effort and intensity will certainly help as well.
Rod: I honestly don’t think it’s going to make much of a difference. As a whole, the Eastern Conference isn’t weaker than the West as it has been in years past so it might actually work against us. In my opinion, the stretch of 19 games between Jan. 25 and March 8 which includes 16 home games (with 2 of the 3 away games against weaker opponents) will be critical in determining how this season ends up. They will need to do well in that stretch to weather the final 18 games, 12 of which are away games.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“We can never get too comfortable.” – Devin Booker
“You want to build a group that’s so competitive that if you don’t play hard, you’re the outlier.” – Jordan Ott
“There’s a lot of special treatment out there… I wish that was just at a minimum.” – Dillon Brooks on some of the calls from Sunday.
“I’ll find a way to channel the emotion properly.” – Dillon Brooks
“He (Royce O’Neale) brings such a great level-headed spirit about who he is as a person every day. He’s upbeat and everyone loves being around him. The joy he plays with on the court is the same that he brings every day in the building.” – Jordan Ott
Suns Trivia/History
When Royce O’Neale is on the floor, the Suns are turning 67.9% of their steals directly into transition plays, per Cleaning The Glass. When he’s off the floor, it drops to 56.2% of the time. That frequency differential of 11.7% ranks in the 95th percentile among all NBA players.
On December 23, 1989, the 9-12 Suns defeated the LA Clippers 104-100 at home to kick-start a 15-2 run (including a 10-game win streak) which improved their record to 24-14. The Suns would go on to finish the season with a 54-28 record and make it to the playoffs as the 5th seed in the West. They defeated the 4th seed Utah Jazz 3-2 in the first round and then the number one seed LA Lakers 4-1 in the semi-finals before falling 2-4 to the 3rd seed Portland Trail Blazers 2-4 in the Western Conference Finals.
On December 25, 1968, the Suns made their national television debut on Christmas day as an ABC audience and a season-high Coliseum crowd of 10,355 witnessed the Los Angeles Lakers post a 119-99 victory.
This Week’s Game Schedule
Thursday, Dec 18 – Suns vs Golden State Warriors (7:00 pm)
Saturday, Dec 20 – Suns @ Golden State Warriors (6:30 pm)
Tuesday, Dec 23 – Suns vs LA Lakers (7:00 pm)
This Week’s Valley Suns Game Schedule
No games scheduled until after Christmas.
Important Future Dates
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
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
