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The Phoenix Suns were completely screwed. The franchise’s all-in moves for Kevin Durant at the 2023 trade deadline and Bradley Beal to begin the 2024 offseason had backfired in epic fashion, resulting in just one playoff series win (with Durant only) before a first-round sweep and lottery appearance forced a hard pivot. The Suns had no choice but to trade Durant last summer coming off a 36-win season, and they followed it by waiving-and-stretching Beal, which put $19.4 million of dead money on their books for the next five years. In addition to putting themselves in a cap crunch, the Suns also didn’t have any draft ammunition without control of their first-round pick until 2032.

When I ranked the league’s worst long-term outlooks coming into the season, I put Phoenix at No. 2 and openly wondered why they weren’t interesting in trading Devin Booker.

The Suns could have had a life vest for their future this summer, but they were too delusional to take it. Phoenix’s most prudent move would have been trading Devin Booker, and trying to recoup some of their own first-round picks that they’ve traded away. Instead, Booker signed an extension that will pay him $75 million once it kicks in for the 2028-29 season. It just feels very unlikely they can build a good team around him in the West while not owning any of their first-round picks.

Vegas didn’t believe in the retooled Suns either, putting their over/under at 30.5 wins entering the season.

Fast forward through the first half of the first year without Durant and Beal, and Phoenix has made me and their other skeptics look very stupid. The Suns are 27-17 and would make the playoffs in the West without needing to go through the play-in if the season ended today. After starting the year at No. 25 in my initial power rankings, Phoenix now cracks the top-10. The Suns are the most pleasant surprise in the league, and they’ve given their fans something to cheer for when everyone else wrote off their next half-decade.

How has Phoenix pulled off the best turnaround of the season? Let’s count the ways.

The Suns nailed their Kevin Durant trade

It felt like the Suns didn’t have any leverage when they went to trade Durant over the summer, because a) the whole league knew he was on the block, b) he was about to turn 37 years old, and c) he was on an expiring contract. Without a bidding war, the Rockets were able to land KD without giving back anyone of note from their young core or either of the future first-round picks they possessed from Phoenix. How could the Suns do that deal without at least landing Reed Sheppard? That was one of my complaints in giving Phoenix a D grade for the trade.

Whoops. It’s clear now that the Suns did very well in the Durant trade, and it’s part of what set them up for success this year and possibly beyond. The Suns checked every box in the trade:

1. They got a win-now veteran starter in Dillon Brooks, who gave them both the volume three-point shooting and competitive edge defensively that they needed
2. They got a young player with upside in Jalen Green, who could benefit from a change of scenery and wasn’t on the books that long even if it felt like he was a little overpaid
3. They got a long-term upside play with the No. 10 overall pick, which they used to swing on Duke center Khaman Maluach, who I had ranked No. 3 overall in the class

Three assets, one that could help immediately, one that aided their short-term future, and one that aided their long term future. Green has barely even played this year as he’s dealt with a lingering hamstring strain, and Maluach is essentially getting a redshirt year in the G League. Despite two of the three players contributing nothing so far, it was still a great for Phoenix that has a chance to pay off even bigger in the future.

The Suns nailed their coaching hire

Mat Ishbia demanded a head coach with championship experience from the moment he took over the Suns. After needing to fire Monty Williams, Frank Vogel, and Mike Budenholzer in the three years to begin his tenure, Ishbia allowed in his front office to go the other way with the hiring on Jordan Ott.

Ott had no previous head coaching experience and had never been a player. At 40 years old, he was most recently on staff the Cleveland Cavaliers under Kenny Atkinson, but his main qualification for the Suns seemed to be that he went to Michigan State.

Ott has obviously been outstanding through the first half of this season, and should be the runaway favorite for NBA Coach of the Year. Ott’s schematic brilliance has been on display in raising the Phoenix defense from No. 28 to No. 4 in just one year, but he’s also done a great job getting everyone to buy into their role to create an egoless team of role players around Booker.

The Suns nailed their fringe roster moves

Collin Gillespie was a two-time Big East Player of the Year and All-American at Villanova who went undrafted because he didn’t have the size, athleticism, or rim scoring teams look for in a point guard. The Suns originally signed him to a two-way deal in the summer of 2024, and he looked good enough in 33 games last year that Phoenix decided to give him a guaranteed one-year minimum deal for this season.

Gillespie has rewarded their faith by turning into one of the league’s best development stories this year with a +2.9 EPM grades out in the 92nd percentile of all players. Gillespie still doesn’t finish at the rim, but he’s become a 42 percent three-point shooter, a solid passer, and a menace defensively who ranks No. 16 in the league in steal percentage. Before the season, everyone wondered how Phoenix would find a point guard next to Booker, and Gillespie has given them everything they needed.

Jordan Goodwin has been another awesome find. The Suns claimed him after he was waived by the Lakers, and he’s emerged as one of the league’s best defensive pests this season. Goodwin is No. 4 in the league in steal percentage and No. 6 in steals per 100 possessions right now. Ott has also empowered him to jack threes at every opportunity, going from 6.2 to 9.7 three-point attempts per 100 possessions over the last year. Goodwin is knocking them down at a 35 percent clip so far, which is great for him.

Add in solid contributions from 2024 second-round pick Oso Ighodaro and current two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea, and the Suns changed their entire outlook this season by most the making of every fringe roster signing.

The Suns crush the offensive glass while still getting back in transition

The conventional wisdom that said crashing the offensive glass came at the cost of getting back in transition defensively is dead, and the Suns are the best proof. Phoenix ranks No. 6 in the league in offensive rebound rate and No. 5 in points allowed in transition per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass.

The Suns have not adopted the double big mentality of many teams, choosing to play with 6’6 Royce O’Neale and 6’7 Dillon Brooks next to center Mark Williams. Phoenix has been able to chase the long rebounds that come from their missed threes with a smaller lineup, and they can get back quicker defensively.

Phoenix was terrible in both areas last year, finishing No. 23 in offensive rebound rate and No. 27 in transition defense. This more than anything is the best example of Ott’s genius at work.

The Suns have maximized every ounce of defensive potential

Durant felt like the Suns’ best defender last year. That’s a huge problem. By trading him, the Suns put a bunch of defensive-minded players around Devin Booker who could do the dirty work and help win the possession battle.

Last year’s Suns were No. 28 in defensive rating under Budenholzer. This year’s Suns are No. 4 in defensive rating under Ott. Aside from fixing the transition defense, the biggest adjustment has been empowering his team to hunt for more steals even if it means getting called for fouls. The Suns have gone from No. 28 to No. 3 in defensive turnover percentage, with both Goodwin and Gillespie turning into steals monsters. All the steals have helped the transition frequency significantly increase as well, and transition scoring is always more efficient than halfcourt scoring.

Opponents are only shooting 34.6 percent from three against Phoenix this year, so maybe they have some shooting luck on their side. Still, it has to be exhausting to play against a team that plays so physically defensively and always hunts the ball. I don’t think it’s all shooting luck.

The Suns are no joke

Building around Booker without cap space or future draft capital seemed like an impossible task for the Suns. Instead, they’ve pulled it off by targeting role players who could go all-out defensively and try to get extra possessions on the offensive glass. Booker has been a solid contributor to a great defense, and offensively he’s done well to get more easy baskets at the foul line even during a year when he’s not shooting the ball well from deep.

Just about every move the Suns made worked out. Trading two late first-round picks for Mark Williams was a fantastic move to add rim protection and rebounding, though he’ll need to be resigned in restricted free agency. Keeping Grayson Allen and O’Neale instead of trading them for Jonathan Kuminga (which the Warriors reportedly turned down) was hugely beneficial. Ryan Dunn and Ighodaro are late round draft hits who don’t need the ball to impact winning. Everything revolves around Booker, and he’s making a big impact (89th percentile EPM) despite a brutal 49.7 percent effective field goal percentage. Just imagine how this looks when Booker’s shots start falling, and Jalen Green’s microwave scoring becomes a full-time part of the lineup.

The next step will be harder to take for the Suns with their draft and cap sheet limitations. The easiest path to leveling up is unleashing Maluach. I still see a super long interior scorer and paint protector who will be able to eventually hit shots from the three-point line. Resigning Gillespie is also a must, and integrating Green without sacrificing too much of the defense will be a tough needle to thread as well.

I was so, so wrong about the Suns. There’s nothing wrong with being a plucky mid-table playoff team, and Phoenix has already achieved that. After successfully pulling off a retooling with very little flexibility, it would be foolish to think another step is impossible. The Suns had to get everything right to avoid a doomed future, and they actually did it.

Cooper Flagg played in the 41^st game of his rookie season on Monday against the New York Knicks. I recently compared Flagg’s first 41 games to those of the last ten number one overall picks, and figured why stop there. How does Flagg’s first half-season stack up against Luka Doncic’s?

Doncic wasn’t the number one overall pick in 2018, but it’s been obvious for a while that he should have been. It’s incredible to think that not only DeAndre Ayton, but Marvin Bagley Jr., and (technically) Trae Young were selected ahead of Doncic.

The Dallas Mavericks are hoping Flagg’s career mirrors that of Doncic’s, if not better. The only thing we have to compare right now, though, are the two young stars’ first 41 games, so let’s take a look at how they look next to each other.

Luka Doncic

43% FG, 37% 3P, 20/6.7/5, 1.1 steals, .3 blocks

Totals: 822 points, 275 rebounds, 207 assists, 46 steals, 11 blocks, 98 3P made

Doncic’s highest scoring game in the first half of his rookie season came against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 28^th, 2018. But his best game was probably a week earlier, on December 20^th, against the Los Angeles Clippers. Doncic put up 32 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals in that game.

Meanwhile, Flagg’s highest scoring game in the first half of his rookie season is also his best game. On December 15^th, 2025 against the Utah Jazz, Flagg notched 42 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and one steal. Here’s what Flagg’s first 41 games looks like:

Cooper Flagg

48% FG, 29% 3P, 18.8/6.3/4.1, 1.3 steals, .8 blocks

Totals: 770 points, 257 rebounds, 170 assists, 52 steals, 32 blocks, 40 3PM

Flagg measures up to Doncic’s first 41 games pretty well! That’s encouraging for everyone rooting for Flagg to live up to that number one overall pick label.

Each rookie enters a completely different situation when they’re drafted. Some join well-run, competitive teams with a clearly defined role. Some enter rebuilds that are complete tear-downs. Others are dropped into absolute messes.

Doncic came into a more stable situation. His first game he started alongside veterans Wes Matthews and DeAndre Jordan, with J.J. Barea and Devin Harris coming off the bench. Dirk Nowitzki began the year injured and wouldn’t join the lineup until 27 games into the season, but he was there to guide Doncic as he adapted to the NBA.

That’s not to say everything was perfect for Doncic as he navigated those first 41 games. There were some issues with veterans freezing him out during games, and he had issues with head coach Rick Carlisle. But it went about as well as you could hope for an introduction to the NBA.

Flagg has dealt with a situation that’s much more murky, at least off the court. The Mavericks came into the season with a poorly constructed roster. With a lack of established point guards to get the talent-laden front court the ball, the likelihood of Dallas struggling was high. That alone was going to make things rough on Flagg.

Head coach Jason Kidd resorted to playing Flagg at point guard early in the season, and it didn’t go well. Thankfully that experiment was abandoned and the Mavericks’ rookie was moved to a more natural position at forward. Kidd found a guard rotation of Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard that’s been serviceable, and Flagg has benefitted greatly.

Flagg also joined a franchise in the midst of a front office mess. Just 11 games into Flagg’s rookie season, Nico Harrison was rightfully fired for trading one of the top five players in the NBA for one of the most injured in Anthony Davis. Since joining the Mavericks, Davis hasn’t played more than five consecutive games.

The sporadic availability of Davis, coupled with the tinkering Kidd has had to do with the lineup haven’t made things easy on the court for Flagg. Still, he’s pushed through and put up numbers that are comparable to Doncic and some of the best number one overall draft picks of the last decade. There’s still a whole second half of the season to play, but the Mavericks and their fans should feel great about the trajectory he’s on so early in his career.

When things are going the way they’ve been going for the Knicks, can you ever definitively say you’re confident in them to win, regardless of opponent?

Yes, on paper, it was more likely the Knicks (26-18) would embarrass the Nets (12-30) by biblical margins than it was for them to manage to lose, especially when fully healthy. But after whatever the hell happened on MLK Day (and in Sacramento), the offense’s recent short-circuiting, and the fact that Cam Thomas has a penchant for scoring in bunches against the Knicks, I was worried.

Maybe I should’t have been. Some things transcend slumps and horrifically bad vibes.

When one team owns another the way the Knicks do to the Nets, they’ll win no matter what. This effect was reversed a few years ago, as the Nets, in the midst of their ten-game winning streak against the Knicks, came back from a 21-point halftime deficit despite missing Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons. Sometimes, you just own a team.

Nic Claxton would know, that’s 13 straight.

Every so often, we get a game that makes you dig deep into the Statmuse files. Let’s see what we can get from this historic, 54-point drubbing:

• It’s the largest margin of victory in franchise history. For a team that’s now played 6,231 games since 1946, that’s a lot. It breaks a three-way tie of games in 1968, 1972, and 1994, all 48-point wins.
• The Knicks led by 59 in the final minute before the Nets scored five to end the game. That 59-point lead is probably the largest in franchise history, but we only have concrete data in the last 30-ish years. Looking at the box scores of the pre-play-by-play era games, I don’t think an anyone got to 60.
• It’s the second-largest margin of victory by an NBA team this season. The Hornets destroyed the Jazz, 150-95, 11 days ago. The Knicks would’ve had this one, but Danny Wolf had to statpad with 10 seconds left. Alas!
• The Knicks last allowed 66 points or fewer on April 13, 2012, when they smacked the Wizards 103-65. Wizards’ leading scorer? Jordan Crawford (who went 6-for-20 from the field).
• The Nets are the first NBA team to score fewer than 70 points since… them last season (67). Last one to score less than that was the Mavericks on November 18, 2016, losing a disgusting 80-64 game to Memphis. Who remembers the 79-73 a few years ago?
• The Nets last scored this few points on March 12, 2005. In case you forgot, team’s score more in like four minutes now than they did in whole quarters 20 years ago.
• For reference, with 66 points, the Knicks have had 21 halves this season where they’ve put up 66 points. They’ve also allowed 10, with six coming since Christmas (yikes)
• The Knicks have won 13 straight games against the Nets. It’s the longest streak in the rivalry’s history and is quickly rivaling the streak the Knicks had against the Pistons from 2020-24 of 16 straight.

120-66 is such a ridiculous score. It’s happened once before in NBA history, but it’s a score you’re more likely to see in non-conference college basketball. In November 2024, UMass Lowell beat NAIA Fisher College, 121-66. That’s a bunch of Division I athletes destroying a non-NCAA school. This just shouldn’t happen in the NBA with 15 of the best 450 players in the world on each bench.

There’s not much to say about the game itself. The only time the Nets looked anything other than total dog poo was when Egor Demin nailed two threes early. From what I’ve seen so far, the No. 8 overall pick has by far the best chance of becoming a solid NBA starter of the five first-round picks the Nets had this year. He’s shown some advanced playmaking, and the BYU product is a sneaky good shooter.

What I really liked about how the Knicks started this game was the way they involved Karl-Anthony Towns early. The struggling big man finished with just 14 points in 20 minutes and still had some bewildering offensive fouls, but in a situation where he needed to come out and perform, he got off to a good start to quickly put the team up by double digits.

Jalen Brunson only had 20-5-4 in a team-high 31 minutes and went 1-for-8 from three, yet we won by 54, so who cares? It was a quiet game for OG Anunoby and a meh game from Mikal Bridges, but again, who cares? It was the Landry Shamet show, baby!

The Knicks shot 50% from three, a welcome sign after how bad they’ve been from deep this month. They also held the Nets to 27.5%, and it wasn’t wide-open bricks; it was forcing a bad team into bad shots. The Nets also shot 29.1% from the field, the lowest by an NBA team in two years. It was also the worst for the Nets since December 26, 2019, when they shot 26.9%… against the Knicks!

The increased defensive intensity was evident all night. I don’t have a clip show to show you, but the effort was there from the start. Kudos to the captain, who led by example and was visibly defending hard from the opening tip. Brunson’s not the worst defender when he’s engaged like this, it’s just hard when you’re also the only guy on the team that can dribble.

After the Mavs’ drubbing, I called back to the last time the Knicks got pulverized by the Mavericks at MSG while in the doldrums. After that game, Tom Thibodeau permanently benched Evan Fournier (although it was trending that way for a while), Derrick Rose, and Cam Reddish. History did repeat itself for Mike Brown, who banished Jordan Clarkson to the bench after his recent rough performance.

I don’t think Clarkson will be permanently glued to the bench, as his ability to create for himself is valuable, and when he’s hot, he’s hot. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was shipped out at the trade deadline if the Knicks are more active than just finding a taker for Guerschon Yabusele.

What’s important for the Knicks is that they, for at least one night, have quieted the noise behind a record-breaking effort. Make no mistake, beating the snot out of a tanking team means nothing for the very real problems they’ve had lately, but sometimes all it takes is one win to snap a team out of a funk. They’ve now played three straight elite halves of defense and, for the first time in months, will have consecutive days off at home before they next play the Sixers on Saturday.

Win that one, and I think brighter days are ahead.

Under the Hood – it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.

Firing on All Cylinders

All five starters finished in double-digits in last night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Daniss Jenkins – 17 PTS and 4 AST

Duncan Robinson – 15 PTS, 4 REB, AND 3 AST

Ausar Thompson – 12 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, AND 3 STL

Tobias Harris – 10 PTS, 6 REB, AND 3 AST

Jalen Duren – 20 PTS, 15 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, AND 2 BLK

Transmission Trouble

In a game that didn’t feature Cade Cunningham and Caris LeVert, this felt like an opportunity for Jaden Ivey to get some increased playing time, but that didn’t happen.

JB Bickerstaff played 10 players last night and Ivey ranked 9th in minutes – only Javonte Green played less than him.

Ron Holland, Marcus Sasser, and Daniss Jenkins all played more minutes than Ivey.

It does feel like Ivey’s shot creation in the midrange has improved and his three-point stroke looks good, but his burst and explosiveness that made him such an intriguing prospect coming out of Purdue isn’t there anymore. Perhaps with more time it’ll slowly come back, but right now, he doesn’t have it.

As I watched last night’s game, it made me wonder: at this point, what does Ivey do that Sasser can’t?

There are more similarities to their game now than pre-Ivey-leg-break. Based on the depth at the guard position for Detroit, I think this is what makes Ivey expendable. Jenkins is more of a point guard, Sasser brings more offensive juice at a lower cost, and Green brings a 3-and-D look that no other guard on the roster can.

I think the writing is on the wall when it comes to Jaden Ivey’s future in Detroit.

Mechanic’s Note

This possession got me hype last night:

I’ve been a consistent criticizer of the spacing on this team, usually due to the lack of shooting from Ausar and Duren, but the blueprint is there for these two co-existing.

Ausar’s inability to shoot isn’t an issue if he’s the on-ball initiator on offense, especially when he’s going downhill. I’m confident in his passing ability to find JD for a lob or make the right read to an open shooter at the three-point line.

If you pause the video right before Ausar throws the oop, you’ll see Duncan and Ivey in the corners with Tobias on the wing, and they’re all ready to shoot while spacing the floor. This is a great possession that minimizes the weaknesses of Ausar and Duren while also giving them ample room to operate inside.

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: What is your opinion of Jordan Goodwin and his impact on the court this season?

Ashton: What a stud player.

This will bleed into Q2 (not quarterly, you corporate nerds), but I specifically waited until the conclusion of the Suns and 76’ers to try to answer this.

The deal is you can’t cut Goodie’s minutes. He played 20 minutes on Tuesday, the same as Green. Unless there is some fantastic trade at the table. I also agree that Goodwin is off the table.

Do I put him in the untouchable realm? Of course not, but his player value is skyrocketing.

OldAz: What strikes me with Jordan Goodwin is how different he seems in this stint with the Suns compared to his previous. The JG we see now is tenacious, ball hocking on defense, and embodies this team’s personality of effort and energy every minute he’s on the court. He has certainly improved his three-point shot, and his uncanny knack for collecting rebounds is awesome.

What I can’t figure out is if he was like this in his first stint and it just didn’t fit as well, or if this is all about his growth over the last few years. It is striking because what he is doing embodies the culture of this team so perfectly and makes me wonder if the reason it didn’t work before is that one person on the floor hustling with four guys standing around just doesn’t look nearly as impressive.

Kudos to Bryan Gregory for snatching him up when he became available and to Jordan Ott for making sure JG gets the minutes he deserves by hustling and doing everything on the floor this team needs.

Rod: It’s rather amazing to think that, at this time last year, Goodwin wasn’t actually on an NBA squad. He was playing for the South Bay Lakers in the G League…and that was on a standard G League contract, not even a two-way. The Lakers didn’t sign him to a two-way until the trade deadline and then converted his two-way to a standard NBA deal near the end of the 2024/25 season. Thankfully, the Lakers decided to waive him last July because they had the opportunity to sign Marcus Smart and needed the roster spot to do so, which gave the Suns the opportunity to claim him.

I wasn’t very impressed by his addition at first because he really didn’t impress me much in his first time with Phoenix (which was only half a season before he was part of the trade with Brooklyn that brought Royce O’Neale to the Suns), but he has most definitely impressed me this time around! He’s a tenacious defender and rebounder who plays bigger than his actual size, plus he’s developed a solid three-point shot, which all makes him a perfect fit for this team.

Q2: There is some belief among fans that Jalen Green’s return will hurt the Suns’ defense. What’s your opinion on this?

Ashton: Again, I waited until the conclusion of the 76’ers game to try and answer this question. These are my takeaways from a firm and solid NBA basketball perspective.

I have no takeaways.

The reality is that the sample size is just too small to make a definitive judgment on Green’s defense. He was not the “pigeon,” and I thought he held up well in the game, especially when the Suns needed to protect the lead in the fourth quarter. I was basically begging and pleading with the game chat to answer this question. But I would say the fanbase trusts his defense. I will mention that Goodwin had two steals while Green had none. I am not saying this is the end-all-be-all for defensive metrics, but it is worth noting.

Now, if this were a question about Green’s offensive potential? The dude should star in the next “Fast and the Furious” series, where he drives a Ferrari to Mars. Wow, that man could move fast, and it should translate to hustling back on D, and while some of the commentators may highlight Book and Green, I was actually most entertained with Green and Goodie. What a duo, and there are actually 3 “Gs” to sub with (Grayson, Gillespie, Goodwin).

Whoever plays the best defense will most likely get the most minutes.

OldAz: I think this is overblown. A lot of these fears are about reputation, and when you step back and think about it, the same can be said for almost all of the Suns’ current roster. Booker has constantly been fighting a reputation as a poor defender, yet we have all seen Booker play good defense when he is engaged and part of a team’s defensive concept. Mark Williams has been banned as a poor individual defender, yet he anchors a very effective Suns defensive team.

A lot of the players are undersized and simply make up for it with energy and effort, and kind of like I referenced in question one, defense looks a whole lot better when five guys are on the same page putting forth the same energy and effort. There’s no reason to believe that Jalen Green will not fall right in line with these team concepts and apply his great athleticism on both ends of the court.

Rod: After watching him in the Philadelphia game, I can’t really agree with this. He may not be a great defender, but I saw nothing to indicate that he was a poor one either. The effort I saw him give on the defensive end was great, and that alone means a great deal. One play that quickly comes to mind is when, in the 4th quarter, he was guarding Tyrese Maxey and used his speed and quickness to keep him away from the basket and ultimately force him into taking a contested shot (which he missed). I think he’s going to fit in just fine with this group and be a net positive on the court.

Q3: If Nick Richards is traded before the deadline, this would probably move rookie Khaman Maluach up to his spot on the Suns’ center depth chart. Some fans have voiced the opinion that this would be unwise, considering Mark Williams’ injury history. What’s your opinion?

Ashton: This is a very nuanced question. Nick Richards is traded for whom? And does that person take the open roster spot? Is it for another big man?

Personally, I would just like to trade Richards for any type of salary flexibility and maybe a second-round pick. Richards should be begging to get out of town. Minutes are going to be hard to come by with this talented bench line-up, and if he can see more playing time elsewhere, he should be traded.

Mark Williams has been a warrior for the Suns, and the change of scenery has done him well in the Valley. So, what injury history? Turn the page and let the man play. Oso can still man the C position.

Khaman Maluach is a bit of an enigma. I would absolutely love for him to join the bench-mob revolution that the Suns are currently experiencing. But again, where do the minutes come from? If you look at KM’s stats from the G League, they are really quite good. He excels at the FT line and in rebounding. But his NBA stats suck due to a lack of playing time.

This is a chicken-and-egg question. But it ultimately comes down to how many minutes the Suns can afford to give Man Man? The answer is not many unless (holds breath) an injury occurs in the frontcourt. Keep KM in the development league.

OldAz: There is a reason Oso has passed Richards on the depth chart, and that Richards gets almost as many minutes over the last month as Maluach. The injury concern is understandable, and if Williams or even Oso gets injured, there is going to be a significant step down for the team. The real question is how big the gap is between a veteran like Richards, who really lacks athleticism and anything he really does special on the floor, and the inexperience but high upside of KM.

In my opinion, worrying about the third-string center is a good problem to have, and if they find the right deal to get under the salary threshold or to bring back a solid player, they simply need to pull the trigger and let the chips fall where they may when it comes to injuries.

Rod: I understand that concern, but I don’t think it should be the deciding factor as to whether to trade Richards or not. Following the trade deadline, the Suns will have 31 games left, and if Williams stays healthy until then, I see no reason to play things overly cautious. Sure, there would be some risk in moving Richards then, but I think that risk may not be as high as others. And while Maluach may not seem ready for meaningful minutes yet, we won’t know that for certain until he’s actually given meaningful minutes to play. If the return for Nick outweighs the risk, make the move.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

Quotes of the Week

“We’re going to stick to it. No one in the Suns uniform or on the staff like how we started that third quarter, but the starters then figured it out and they did it collectively.” – Jordan Ott on the Philadelphia game

“I just think we just continue to get better. Even when it doesn’t feel great, we find ways to win.” – Jordan Ott

“I’m just trying to be a star in my role.” – Jordan Goodwin

“I think we’re taking a lot of pride in being that bench unit, playing together, playing fast. Sharing the basketball. Flying around on defense. Just having that identity going in there and changing the speed of the game has been really good.” – Oso Ighodaro

“We never put an expectation on anything. We just want to come out here and play the right way and that’s what we’ve been doing this year.” – Devin Booker

Suns Trivia/History

On January 23, 2016, Tyson Chandler tied Paul Silas’ franchise record of 27 rebounds in a 98-95 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

On January 28, 2014, the Suns signed Leandro Barbosa to a contract for the rest of the season. It was Barbosa’s 2nd stint with the Suns after playing his first 7 years in the league in Phoenix. Barbosa had begun the 2013-14 season playing in his home country of Brazil for Esporte Clube Pinheiros after tearing the ACL in his left knee while playing for the Celtics in 2012-13. The “Brazilian Blur” had been signed by the Suns to back-to-back 10-day contracts before getting the rest of the season contract offer from them.

On January 29, 1984, the NBA’s first All-Star Saturday took place in Denver at McNichols Arena. The first Nestle Crunch Slam-Dunk winner was Phoenix’s Larry Nance, who used a two-ball windmill dunk to beat favorites Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins.

On January 29, 2007, the Suns’ previous longest win streak of 17 games came to an end in Minnesota 121-112 on the final game of a 5-game road trip. The Suns entered the fourth quarter up 95-94 but went ice cold from the field, making only 29.4% of their shots (5 of 17) in the quarter and were outscored 27-17 while the Timberwolves hit 60.0% of their FG attempts (12 of 20).

This Week’s Game Schedule

Friday, Jan 23 – Suns @ Atlanta Hawks (5:30 pm)
Sunday, Jan 25 – Suns vs Miami Heat (6:00 pm)
Tuesday, Jan 27 – Suns vs Brooklyn Nets (7:00 pm)

This Week’s Valley Suns Game Schedule

Friday, Jan 23 – Valley Suns @ Texas Legends (7:30 pm)
Sunday, Jan 25 – Valley Suns vs Austin Spurs (3:00 pm) NBA TV
Tuesday, Jan 27 – Valley Suns vs Austin Spurs (8:00 pm) ESPN+

Important Future Dates

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

As longtime readers know, in addition to being a die hard Spurs fan, I am the proud father of a die hard Spurs fan. My twelve-year-old daughter Elizabeth and I most commonly spend our father-daughter dates at the Frost Bank Center. Some memorable outings were Dirk Nowitzki’s farewell game, the 2023 NBA Draft, and the Silver & Black Scrimmage.

But no night beats last Monday against the Utah Jazz.

For MLK Day, we made our way down to the Frost Bank Center for the mid-afternoon game. This time we had to arrive even earlier as Elizabeth had been chosen to be the Spurs Ball Kid for the game. We signed in with game-ops and then Tre, a wonderful member of the Spurs Hype Squad, escorted us down to the court.

Walking the hardwood alone was a treat. I caught a smile across her face and some pep in step as we made our way to the Spurs basket.

For those who haven’t been to a live game, when the Spurs come out for the pregame shoot around, there is an equipment crew. During this time, they are grabbing loose balls and tossing fresh ones out to the players. The Spurs Ball Kid is a role they’ve had as far back as I can remember. A child gets to help the crew distribute balls to the players as they warm up.

On Monday Elizabeth joined them.

She was tossing basketballs to corner shooters, one of them being three-point specialist Julian Champagnie, who Elizabeth listed as her favorite player.

While the in-arena announcement was introducing her, Julian heard his name called as her favorite and his ears perked up.

She finished the shoot around and then was invited to line up with the players to high five the Spurs starters, amost incredible experience.

After all that excitement, there was still a game to watch. At the end of the first half, she once again distributed basketballs to the players during their shoot around before the second half commenced.

The Spurs had a great night. Champagnie scored 13 points hitting 3 threes and grabbing 4 rebounds, both categories of which he is gaining recognition.

After the game, he invited Elizabeth down to receive his game-worn jersey, which he’d signed. Due to timing — the Spurs were heading out immediately after to make the trip to Houston for the second night of a back-to-back — he wasn’t able to deliver it personally, but we got to thank the crew who she’d been with for both shoot around distributions.

She played it cool when she saw the jersey, but as we exited the Frost Bank Center she was skipping to the car, the most excited I’d seen her in a long time. Although she was ahead of me, I am pretty sure I heard her singing his name as she danced on in the moonlight.

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