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 - After getting very little playing time, Oso Ighodaro has averaged more minutes (27.5) than anyone other than Book and KD and had the highest +/- on the team in the last 4 games (vs Houston, Sacramento, LAL and Toronto). What are your thoughts on this?
GuarGuar: I will never forgive Bud for benching Dunn and Oso half the season on a team where half the players have given no extra effort on defense. It could not have been more obvious for months that this team needed their energy on a nightly basis. Oso is undersized but he can fight. And he’s by far our most gifted offensive center. He’s an EXCELLENT playmaker for his position and is phenomenal in the short roll when one of our stars gets doubled.
OldAz: He just fits. Earlier in the season OSO got some minutes when Nurk was hurt and the question was raised about what his ceiling was. I said at the time that he should be a starter this season. This wasn’t because he was the best center on the roster. Far from it. But he simply fit in that stretch with KD and in this recent stretch with Book. He uses his length well, and we have said all season that the Suns need more length. He doesn’t light up the scoreboard, but his activity frees up Book and KD who are certainly capable of carrying the offense. He also fights for rebounds every time (and how many more boards would he have if they gave partial credit for all those tap outs to a teammate). He simply fits, which is why the +/- is actually a good indicator of his impact.
Rod: I’m glad he’s back in the rotation. After some time in the G League, he seems less tentative offensively which is something I wanted to see from him. The hustle and energy he, Dunn, Gillespie and now Martin bring to the game seems to be infectious and brought the Suns to life lately. He may be a little undersized for a center but I think his BBIQ makes up for a lot of that and I don’t think it matters that much when he’s mostly playing against other teams backup centers... and he played damn well last night against the Cavs as a starter.
Q2 - Ryan Dunn has also worked his way out of Bud’s doghouse in those 4 games, averaging the 5th highest minutes per game (24.5) and has been the team’s 5th leading scorer (12.5 ppg). What are your thoughts on his play in those recent games?
GuarGuar: Dunn’s shot will be steely but his defense and energy will never be. He’s good at cutting and is a rim threat which this team desperately needs. I’m so happy he’s starting and flourishing since he’s been reinstated into the rotation.
OldAz: At times this season the Suns have put forth better effort and looked good (I’m talking before this latest stretch). While those individual games were nice to see, I found myself more frustrated because the only difference was effort and it begged the question of where that effort was every night. The same is true with Dunn not playing. He is doing exactly in this latest stretch what he had been doing before by playing good defense and staying confident in his offense. He continued to work hard and make an impact. The only surprising part was that is begs the obvious question of why he was not playing. It was asinine and indefensible for Bud to bury him on the bench when his length, athleticism, and defensive effort were all the things missing while the Suns struggled after the All Star break.
Rod: I’ve always liked Dunn’s defense but now it seems that he’s grown beyond just a 3&D player. He would have still been a fine addition to the team if that was all he was but I love seeing him cut and drive instead of just waiting at the 3-point line as he did early on in the season. His energy on both sides of the court is a much welcomed sight for a Suns team that has lacked that for much of the season. He’s turned into a much more well rounded player which is very good for both his and the team’s future.
Q3 - After getting the opportunity to see Cody Martin play for the Suns, what’s your opinion of him?
GuarGuar: Cody is interesting. His jumpshot is horrible but he’s a decent defender with some length and he brings good energy. Anyone who brings energy is much needed on this roster so I’m glad to have him. This team lacks athletic wings so I’m cool giving him a spot in the rotation.
OldAz: I really was not familiar with Cody and thought he was too small at 6’5” to really be impactful. Now that I have seen him on the court, he plays much bigger than that. He also plays with energy and athleticism which (again) is a perfect fit around KD and Book. His presence, along with the 3 rookies, has shown the truth that “any” lineup with KD and Book “should” be a playoff contender. This season has proven that is not necessarily true, but the last week has shown the blueprint of what that team makeup can look like. Fill the team with young, energy players who hustle, play defense, and rebound. That combination forces KD and Book to join the party on defense, but also frees them up to show their greatness on offense.
Rod: I love Martin’s defense and he’s a surprisingly good ball handler and passer (6 assists vs Toronto). In his first 3 games he’s already gotten 6 steals and 3 blocks in just 44.5 minutes of court time. He also seems like a smart player who doesn’t try to do too much offensively. He knows defense is his bread and butter but doesn’t shy away from scoring opportunities either.
I initially thought the Suns had gotten him to waive at the end of the season to help them get under the 2nd tax apron but he might be a keeper, especially if they’re going to trade KD this summer. Keeping him would make getting under the 2nd apron a little more difficult but still doable if that’s the plan.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Rookie Report
Ryan Dunn - 17.6 mpg, 64 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.6 bpg, 0.4 TO, 2.1 PF, 43.4% FG%, 30.6% 3P%, 46.9% FT%
Last Week - 25.8 mpg, 14.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.3 bpg, 0.3 TO, 2.3 PF, 47.9% FG%, 37.5% 3P%, 33.3% FT%
Oso Ighodaro - 15.1 mpg, 3.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 0.6 TO, 1.6 PF, 60.9% FG%, 0.0 3P%, 56.1% FT%
Last Week - 28.3 mpg, 5.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 1.3 TO, 2.8 PF, 61.1% FG%, 0.0 3P%, 100.0% FT%
Statistics courtesy of NBA.com.
Injury Report
Bradley Beal (Hamstring) - Out until at least Mar 26
Nick Richards (Calf) - Game Time Decision
Grayson Allen (Foot) - Game Time Decision
Mason Plumlee (Quadriceps) - Out until at least Mar 24
Last Week’s poll results
Last week’s question was “*Do you care if the Suns make it to the Play In stage or not?*”
54% - Yes.
46% - No.
A total of 141 votes were cast.
Suns Trivia/History
Quotes of the Week
“If I’m out on the floor, I’m going to play hard. I’m going to exhaust myself and then if I need a breather, they’ll probably get me out of the game, but when I’m out there, I’m going to play hard and I’m going to exhaust myself.” - Collin Gillespie
“I’ve been working on that with Bud and Chad (Forcier) since day one I got here. I knew that was kinda gonna be a thing I had to go through along with shooting 3s, but being able to make impacts on the offensive end in different ways” - Ryan Dunn on his floaters and cuts
“We need to win games. Hopefully they lose some. We can sneak into that 10, maybe 9 spot and handle business when we get there.” - Devin Booker
Important Future Dates
April 13 - NBA Regular Season ends
April 14 - Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2025 (3 p.m. ET)
April 15-18 - Play-In Tournament
April 19 - NBA Playoffs begin
May 12 - NBA Lottery
June 25-26 - NBA Draft
This week’s poll is...
Poll
Do you want the Suns to keep Cody Martin on the roster for next season?
0%
Yes.
(0 votes)
0%
No.
(0 votes)
0 votes total Vote Now
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