Isaiah Livers
Forward, 6’7”, 230 pounds, 27 years old, 3 years of NBA experience
Isaiah Livers is closer to an NBA court than ever before. Not because he’s simply signed another deal, but because for the first time in years, his body has allowed him to chase the game without compromise.
The Suns’ two-way wing isn’t a headline-grabber; his résumé won’t echo like All-Star intros. But in the margins of resilience, rehab, and hard-won health, he’s built something fans can feel: the possibility of a player who’s ready not just to return, but to contribute.
And he’s ready to go. Now.
2024–25 Recap
There is no “recap” in the usual sense. Last season is a file folder labeled ‘absence’. In October 2024, Livers underwent right-hip resurfacing — major work, not a maintenance tune-up — and didn’t play a minute all year. His last NBA game was Jan. 12, 2024, after a stop in Washington, where he never suited up.
The telling moment came from him, not about him: “I am a big believer in dealing with the cards that are dealt in your hand, while taking control of this situation and making a change,” he wrote on Oct. 23, 2024.
Contract Details
Fast forward to a couple of months ago…On July 8, 2025, the Suns signed Livers to a two-way deal. For Phoenix, it’s pragmatic and hopeful at once: a wing with size and a repeatable stroke, no cap pyrotechnics required. For Livers, it’s a doorway. From the Valley Suns minutes to NBA minutes, practice court to rotation, anonymity to habit-forming trust.
First-year head coach Jordan Ott spelled out the thesis:
“Isaiah brings a shooting piece, size piece we’re looking for on this roster… he’s fully healthy.”
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: The shot is real. Not loud, but real. Spot-ups, pick-and-pop, the weak-side “lift” three when the ball finds him late. He doesn’t need touches to be valuable; he needs gravity. He’s 6-‘7” with the frame to guard across lineups, the temperament to fit next to scorers, and enough connective passing to keep the possession alive.
Weaknesses: Availability has been the story he’s trying to stop telling. And he’s not a primary creator. He won’t bend defenses off the dribble. However, when a return to health and a return to competitive basketball has been the summit, Isaiah Livers has been climbing without fear.
Ultimately, the only abiding weakness may be something out of his control; will he be given enough runway to show how far he can fly?
One Key Factor
When you strip the game to its essentials, though, Livers’ recent injury history isn’t a deciding factor for Phoenix. The opportunity and the promise far outweigh any preconceived limitations—personal, court-specific, or otherwise.
Livers’ best version amplifies others: a wing who spaces, competes, and doesn’t blink. Rhythm. After a year away, the first victory isn’t a box score; it’s breath. Can he build NBA timing in 3-minute stints, then 8, then 14, without chasing it?
Two-ways can live on the margins, but rhythm is what moves you from “break-glass depth” to “coach can trust him on a Tuesday in Memphis.”
Livers’ shooting gives him a lane. His game-to-game rhythm will decide if he passes traffic in the slow lane.
Prediction Time
The two-way contract ensures that Phoenix will start him with the Valley Suns to harden the legs and re-train the reads. Let’s call it prepping for match-fitness.
The call-ups follow if the shot is there and the positioning holds. In NBA minutes, think clean, low-usage production: corner threes, second-side drives, a rebound that ends a possession at the right time. Something like 12–15 minutes a night once he’s in, low turnovers, a threes-made ledger that keeps growing. Not splashy. Sustainable.
POTENTIAL 2025/26 SEASON STAT LINE CEILING:
33 NBA games played (and remaining healthy all season!), 16.8 Minutes Per Game (perhaps getting “decent minute” call-ups during injury windows or trade scenarios involving other wing players), 5.4 PPG (on good efficiency), 3.1 RPG, 1.1 APG
Final Thoughts
Every roster needs a few stories that don’t hog the spotlight but hold the season together. I, for one, will be rooting for an Isaiah Livers appearance all season long.
WASHINGTON, D.C - JANUARY 19: Isaiah Livers #12 of the Washington Wizards poses for a portrait on January 19, 2024 at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C - JANUARY 19: Isaiah Livers #12 of the Washington Wizards poses for a portrait on January 19, 2024 at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
NBAE via Getty Images
Livers has the tools — size, touch, temperament — and he now has the health to test them honestly. Suns fans will recognize the type: the pro who does the next correct thing over and over until trust sneaks up on everybody.
If you’re looking for a single stat to track, try this one: appearances. Not points. Not percentages. The steady drumbeat of availability. If that number climbs, the rest of his game will say the quiet part out loud. And somewhere between the practice court and a fourth-quarter corner three, you’ll remember why Phoenix brought him here: not to save anything, to belong to it.
That’s what this season represents for Livers: proximity becoming reality. The court he’s inched toward for two years is finally within reach. If he can stay healthy, hit shots, and give Phoenix rotation minutes that ripple beyond the box score, he’ll prove that “closer” isn’t the right word anymore. He’ll simply be there, on an NBA floor, in a Suns uniform, where resilience itself counts as the defining stat.
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