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: Back before the season began, we speculated on who might win the Dan Majerle hustle award this year. Who are your top 3 contenders for that award now?
GuarGuar: I can’t remember us ever having a year where I could see 3-4 different guys winning the Majerle Hustle Award this Year. That speaks to the nature of this team, and it’s such a pleasure to watch. Right now, for me, it’s a toss-up amongst Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, Ryan Dunn, and Jordan Goodwin. All four have been insane defensively and in the hustle department. I really don’t know how you decide.
Ashton: I remember this question, and I called out Dillon Brooks. I think it’s game over at this point. But he needs to stop with the gestures and the mouth. Or not.
But finding the other two is a team exercise. Which is the point.
It may be Royce O’Neale one day, or Ryan Dunn another day.
I think the most unheralded players after Brooks are:
Mark Williams
And if the option is given. The bench. I honestly have no idea who is going to step up on a day-to-day basis, but Happy Thanksgiving, all.
OldAz: I made a comment about this on the game chat during the Atlanta game (before the collapse) that in past years, this was a one-horse race. This year, there appeared to be a lot of contenders, and narrowing it down to three might be tough.
Gillespie, Goodwin, Brooks, and Dunn all would have a strong claim at the moment. Oso has been up and down, but could easily be in the running by year’s end. Before his injury, GA was almost a perfect copy of what Majerle brought to those teams years ago as well. At the moment, I think Gillespie has an edge on the competition, followed closely by Goodwin. Both have consistently proven to be catalysts when entering the game, sparking runs and inspiring a big energy boost with their hustle and energy.
For the third, I would throw Mark Williams’ name into the ring. In a lot of ways, I think he has had the same impact on the starting lineup (and thus is doing it against tougher competition) by anchoring the defense, hustling for rebounds, and running the floor to make himself available as a key cog in the offense. That’s my 3 at this point, and probably the order I would go with: Gillespie, Goodwin, Williams. But then again, I’m not sure how any top 3 doesn’t include Dillon Brooks in this conversation. Told you this would be a hard one.
Rod: Right now, Jordan Goodwin is my number 1 choice for the award, but I wouldn’t gripe too much if it winds up in someone else’s hands because I consider it a really close race. Brooks, Dunn, and Gillespie are all in the running, and the truly great thing is that, so far, the Suns have multiple players deserving of the award. This year, I really can’t think of anyone that should really be considered out of the running because everyone plays hard when they’re on the court. It’s very refreshing to see that!
Q2: Opposing teams still seem to be focusing their defenses on stopping Devin Booker, but even when Book does have a bad game, that doesn’t guarantee a win for them. What are your thoughts on this?
GuarGuar: Book generally doesn’t force things if he is getting trapped or garnering a ton of attention. That’s just who he always has been. He trusts his teammates to make open shots, and that’s what they have done for the most part this season. I’m hopeful he will get out of this funk soon, but it is encouraging to know we are capable of winning even on his worst nights.
Ashton: Once Green and GA are back, I think the outmoded style of just defending Booker will go into the past. But NBA teams are lazy.
Their scouting report is to get under Book’s skin by double-teaming him. And it works, but it offers opportunities for the bench. An old-school style game scouting will not work if you are using old intel on what used to work in the past.
Take the AI.
OldAz: This has been one of the more enjoyable aspects of this season. Book has been back to his old self at times with a killer instinct, great shot-making, and seemingly improved playmaking. He is also starting to develop a chemistry with Williams that we had hoped for in the past with other bigs. Teams have focused on stopping him, but the ball movement has resulted in a lot of open shots for teammates, and at times, even Booker himself has found himself wide open. However, of late, the longer backcourt of Minnesota and the aggressive defense of the Spurs seemed to impact Booker’s individual stats, but in both cases, the Suns won because they are finally playing like a team.
Many of last year’s players are still around, but they are engaged in the offense in a much larger way due to the ball movement, and Coach Ott is playing his bench for more meaningful minutes. The end result is a team driven by defensive effort and energy that translates into quick offense, where every player can be a threat by getting to shots that they can hit at a good rate. We will know more after the next stretch of games against better teams, but defensive effort gives them a better chance against every team, and having 10 or 11 players actively engaged helps them overcome the nicks and bruises that inevitably come during a long season.
Coach Ott has also given players a long ramp to get back, providing even more opportunity to keep more players sharp and engaged. This may be tougher to continue when Green finally gets back and into shape, as he will demand a lot of minutes, but hopefully by that point, the current chemistry is cemented, where any of the 12 players can step in and be effective whenever needed.
Rod: That strategy often works on slowing Book down by throwing him off his game, but this Suns team isn’t solely reliant on Book, so unless it forces Book into a turnover, it often backfires, leaving opportunities for others to take advantage. If those players make the most of those opportunities, the team thrives, and opponents eventually learn that strategy isn’t working which will loosen up the defensive pressure on Book out of necessity. When the rest of the team doesn’t take advantage (or many key players are out with injuries as in the Houston game), that defensive approach still works, so no one is going to give it up until they’re sure it isn’t going to work.
When this team gets more of its key rotation players back from injury, especially Jalen Green, I think we’re going to see less and less pressure focused on Book by opposing defenses because this version of the Suns just has too many offensive weapons for that approach to work. And once that happens, we’re going to see the best version of Book on the court again.
Q3: Mark Williams is averaging 7.6 field goal attempts per game (7th on the team). Should he be getting more per game?
GuarGuar: Mark probably should be getting more, but our offense is not really much of a settle down and work from the post kind of offense. We do miss him in transition and on some early seals quite a bit, so that number should go up as the season goes on. But I think Mark is just embracing the role we want him in, and he has been exceptional.
Ashton: I really do question Mark Williams’ game management by the coaches at this point.
As I write this, Houston and Suns, with a B2B tonight. That is a big game even with KD out. But I want to make sure Rod can make his flight, or pay through the nose at the grocery store to host. So, I am writing my responses early to make sure he gets his article up.
Beat Houston without KD. Hah!
And it will only be if Mark Williams plays.
OldAz: When DA was here, I was one who often called for him to get more shots (especially when they started ignoring him the the 3rd qtr to jack up 3s). That was a product of his incredible shooting within 10 feet, and the resulting space it created for Booker and CP3. While Williams plays bigger and stronger around the rim, he does not have anywhere close to that same jump shot. Instead, he is far better at making himself available for lobs and dunks, putbacks, and creates much more contact (and fouls). To me, Williams getting more shots must be a product of how the game is going and what the defense gives. I don’t want to see them force the ball to Williams like I wanted them to with DA. Instead, they need to continue to move the ball and find the open man.
The one area where more shots should come is never (and I repeat NEVER) passing up Williams when he is out on the break. Booker did this against Atlanta to take a 3 for himself instead of feeding Williams for the impending massive slam. There have been a few other examples despite Booker’s growing connection with Williams. That one against Atlanta was a huge mistake, and coincided with the end of the Suns’ run and the start of the Atlanta comeback. Williams should continue to get whatever the defense provides with good ball movement from the Suns, but he should also get every fast-break lob or finish possible on the break.
Rod: I’d like to see him getting more shots up per game, but I suppose it really depends on the circumstances from game to game. If the Suns are having one of their hot shooting nights from three, then deliberately going away from that just to give Williams more touches would not be the best idea. But, in games where he has a clear advantage over his defender, they should be feeding him the rock until he requests a breather.
Overall though, I think it would be best for the Suns not to overlook him in the paint and try to get him more opportunities to score.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“We’re not going to be a low-foul team. We’re going to defend to the legal limit [and] we know that comes at a cost.” - Jordan Ott
“Back-to-backs are tough in general, but it doesn’t matter in the standings, on the scoreboard or the record. It doesn’t matter.” - Jordan Ott
”This game is all about confidence. No matter what level it is, you gotta be confident in your game.” - Dillon Brooks
“We believe in our group. I think that Atlanta game, giving up that large lead, kind of set us back and just let us
know that we have to stay on the gas throughout the whole game. It was a good learning lesson for us.” - Devin Booker
Suns Trivia/History
The NBA no longer schedules games on Thanksgiving Day, but they did at one time, and the Suns were scheduled to play on turkey day 6 times in total, all back in the 70’s. Their all-time record for Thanksgiving Day games is 4-2.
On November 27, 1977, Paul Westphal set a new franchise and career-high when he dropped 48 points (along with 5rebounds and 4assists) in a 115-97 win over the Denver Nuggets. Westy was on fire all night, shooting 20-30 from the field and 8-10 FTs. MacLeod pulled him with 3:17 left in the game. After that happened, fans began chanting, “We want Westy!”
On November 28, 1975, Suns rookie Alvan Adams recorded his first career triple-double (17 pts, 10 rebs, 11 asts plus 4 steals) in a 110-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Alvan would record four more triple-doubles during the 1975-76 season on his way to earning Rookie of the Year honors and a trip to the All-Star game.
On December 1, 1984, Suns head coach John MacLeod became the 10th coach in NBA history to compile 500 career wins as the Suns defeated Golden State 115-103.
This week’s game schedule
Friday, Nov 28 - Suns @ Oklahoma City Thunder (7:30 pm)
Saturday, Nov 29 - Suns vs Denver Nuggets (7:00 pm)
Monday, Dec 1 - Suns @ LA Lakers (8:00 pm) Peacock
This week’s Valley Suns game schedule
Sunday, Nov 30 - Valley Suns vs Stockton Kings (8:00 pm)
Tuesday, Dec 2 - Valley Suns vs Santa Cruz Warriors (8:00 pm) ESPN+
Wednesday, Dec 3 - Valley Suns vs Santa Cruz Warriors (8:00 pm) ESPN+
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