In the third week of the NBA season, the Phoenix Suns had four games, the same number they played in the first two weeks combined. Losing the first two and winning the last two, the team has established some momentum after a rough 1-5 start to the year, but there’s a lot they need to fix if they want to return to the playoffs.
Alas, here are the questions we want your answers on for this week’s edition of Bright Side Wonders:
The Suns finally beat Kevin Durant
It took them four games, but the Phoenix Suns have beaten the Houston Rockets
for the first time since trading Kevin Durant to Texas. In a back-and-forth second half, the team eked out the victory thanks to an all-around scoring effort and holding the Rockets’ top scorers (Durant and Alperen Şengün) under 36% shooting from the floor.
Leading as much as 19 in the first half, the Suns didn’t let blowing their massive lead stop them from closing out a contested final minutes.
While the win started the team’s first win streak of the season and helped build some momentum, beating Durant for the first time is noteworthy, considering the back-and-forths he’s had with the franchise since his departure.
How do you feel about the Durant trade now that the Suns have finally beaten him?
A starting lineup change
After starting the year 1-5, the Phoenix Suns made a change to the starting lineup. And no, Collin Gillespie is still a reserve. Oso Ighodaro has replaced Khaman Maluach at the starting center spot, and the team is 2-0 since. The two’s playing time hasn’t altered much since the move, but who they’re playing with has, and the Suns’ starting lineup’s net rating goes up by 16 points when Ighodaro is the starter, according to HoopsJunkie.
Ighodaro isn’t the rebounder or the physical presence that Maluach is, but he’s more experienced, and adds another playmaker to a starting lineup that lacks them. Additionally, the fact that he doesn’t need to have the ball to make an impact helps a starting five full of ball-dominant scorers.
Albeit a small sample size, how are you feeling about the lineup change?
A more efficient Dillon Brooks?
When the Suns traded for Miles Bridges, it was known that someone in the starting lineup was going to have to make a shot attempt sacrifice, but it was hard to believe it’d be Dillon Brooks after his career year and it’s been him, and the Suns aren’t benefiting from it.
While he’s shooting career-highs from the field and three, the team is 14 points worse on offense when he’s on the floor. Even though he makes up for it by being such a major impact on defense, one of the reasons the Suns surprised many last season was because of his offensive aggressiveness, and with him taking nearly five less shots per game than he did a season ago, they’re struggling?
What impact would a more aggressive Brooks make on the team’s offense?
Weird, but True
The Suns’ win against the Rockets was their first win against Houston in 982 days. The only other team they haven’t beaten in that stretch is the Boston Celtics, who they haven’t beaten since February 3rd, 2023. 1,374 days ago.
On the Suns’ Plate This Week
It’s another four-game week for the Suns, but this one is all at home. This week they’ll host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday for their game against the Eastern Conference of the season and then they’ll finish the week off on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
All games start at 7 pm AZ time except for the game against the Lakers, which starts at 2 pm.
