Mat Ishbia
It was a very successful weekend in The Valley. The Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings by 27 points at home on Friday night. They followed it up with a stunner against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
Devin Booker delivered the game-winning three in the final seconds to take down the best team in the league. Thus, snapping an eight-game skid in battles with OKC.
A few plays before the Booker shot came a clutch step-back three by forward Dillon Brooks. He has helped change the culture in Phoenix during his first year with the team, though his name has come up amongst NBA pundits.
Former All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins said on Run It Back today that the team should trade him to LA for Austin Reaves.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia took to social media to give his two cents.
Mat Ishbia Makes Claim on Dillon Brooks
When Phoenix sent Kevin Durant to Houston in the offseason, two players came back in his stead. Guard Jalen Green, who has dealt with injuries and hardly been available. And Dillon Brooks, who has been averaging a career-high number of points and helping his team to some major victories.
Mat Ishbia took to X (Twitter) today to say that Brooks was not available for teams to acquire. It’s hard to disagree with such a sentiment, considering just how much of a positive impact the veteran has had with his new club.
Brooks signed a four-year deal with the Rockets prior to the start of the 2023-24 campaign, and is signed through the end of the 2026-27 season. After averaging 14 points per game during his second year with Houston, the forward has increased his total to over 21 per night.
Shooting a career-best 46% from the floor, he’s helped the team to pick up more wins than most folks expected them to. Being able to pick up victories over teams like OKC with their new forward leading the way shows his value.
With a 12-5 record on their home floor, the team has been able to deliver some great games for their home fans.
Phoenix Suns Look to Continue Winning Ways
If the playoffs started today, the 21-14 Suns would be the #7 seed in a very crowded Western Conference. As they look ahead to the week at hand, some key games rest on their schedule.
Phoenix is slated to battle the Rockets on the second leg of a back-to-back on Monday night. Following that, a date with the Grizzlies on the road is on Wednesday. The New York Knicks come to town on Friday night, the fourth game in six days.
As Devin Booker has continued to star, the team has had a variety of co-stars helping out. Collin Gillespie has delivered in a massive way, wiggling his way into the starting lineup. Mark Williams has been a major improvement at the center position from what the team had before.
Dillon Brooks’ scoring has been at a level that hasn’t been seen since 2021-22, when he was scoring 18 a night.
Mat Ishbia has been trying to change the culture since coming to Phoenix. Jordan Ott is their fourth coach in as many years, but he seems to have the offense playing at an elite level.
Staking the claim that Brooks isn’t available is letting everybody know that this team is ready to go as is. And that belief should continue to inspire strong play from everybody.