Your weekly Inside the Suns analysis straight from the BSotS community who live and breathe the team.
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 are your thoughts on the Suns’ Two-way guards, Collin Gillespie and TyTy Washington?
GuarGuar: I think they both have great offensive potential but I’d be surprised if either turned in a full time role player on a good team in the NBA. Both are defensive liabilities for different reasons. I like having young guys with potential on the roster though and who knows what each of them could possibly turn into.
OldAz: This is a knee jerk opinion based on limited playin time at the NbA level as I haven’t watched any Valley Suns games this season. with TyTy his limited run with the Suns sure reminded me a lot of Jordan Goodwin with maybe a ceiling of Eric Bledsoe. I have never been a fan of shoot first point guards unless they are transcendent scorers like Westbrook or Kyrie who can use that scoring ability to create openings for teammates. It may be too early to call this, but I would place his ceiling somewhere around Goodwin who appears to me a marginal NBA level player who can have the occasional breakout game.
Gillespie looks good considering he is coming back from a serious injury, and this may be an even lazier comparison (comparing a white PG to the only other white PGs), but he has some traits like a Steve Nash and a John Stockton. I am in no way saying he is anywhere near that good, otherwise he would have been a higher draft prospect (Nash and Stockton were picked in the mid-teens while Gillespie went undrafted). Still the comparison lines up because he does not have breakaway speed to blow by anyone, plays under control and is a good passer and competent shooter when open. If he gets time to develop and gets lucky, his ceiling might be as a decent backup like a TJ McConnell (I know, another white PG).
Brrrberry: Gillespie and TyTy are both still young guys so there’s always the possibility they could level up but I’m not anticipating it with either of them. If I had to place $ on their future in the league I’d be betting on fringe rotation guys. I’d like to see us use our 2 ways on bigs that bring energy with more of a raw offensive toolbox that could potentially grow into something more robust. Or perhaps some Euro guys with the skillset that still need to grow into their body.
Rod: I love the energy and effort they’ve shown on the court. It’s been so good to see someone actually using speed to attack the other team’s defense instead of lazily ambling down the court while giving the other team plenty of time to get their defense set. The Suns are 23rd in Pace this season – and I’m surprised that they’re that high – and I think that’s hurt them overall. Neither of them seems adverse to driving into the paint which is a nice change too. Gillespie is the true PG of the two and I see TyTy as more of a combo guard IMO which give the coaches an extra option for inserting him into the player rotation.
I hope they continue to get minutes this season. They’ve both done really well with the Valley Suns and it’s time for them to get their shots at playing against real NBA competition. I think both of them have a future in the NBA but I doubt either will ever be more than a quality backup/rotation player… and that’s okay.
Q2 – Now that we’ve seen a fair sample size of Nick Richards playing in a Suns uniform, what’s your evaluation of him?
GuarGuar: He’s a quality backup center/spot starter. He’s got a limited offensive game. His defensive awareness is questionable at times. But he’s a really good athlete for his size and can rebound the basketball at a high level. He’s by far the best center we have on this roster and should be played way more than he’s currently been playing.
OldAz: It’s that same as it was after his first week here. He is a decent backup/second tier center in the NBA and really struggles against top tier bigs. Having a good game against the Bulls does not negate this any more than his really good first game with the Suns. Nurk was a significant step down from DA in talent, size, and athleticism. Richards is another step below Nurk even though he is bigger and slightly more athletic than Nurk. All that said, if the Suns better players are playing well, it covered a lot of Richards deficiencies and lets him focus on rebounding and finishing at the rim, both of which is he pretty good at. Fans want to see individual success from the center, but I care more about how well the team plays around him. Hopefully we will start to see more games like the Chicago game.
Brrrberry: Richards has been great! Couldn’t ask much more from a guy coming from a loser organization on a $5M annual deal. He’s statistically been one of the best rebounders in the league since he’s got here, 10 rpg in 23.5 mpg and giving almost double digit points on 57% from the field. Literally asking for anything more from the guy would be foolish, and unrealistic. If he has someone like Trae Young passing him the ball he’d probably be up around 12-14ppg. The guy isn’t a scorer, never has been and never will be. He’s one of the better rebounders in the league so far though and I’d classify the defense as something approaching passable but definitely not a strong suit. For $5M a year and in a crunch, he’s performed admirably.
Rod: I like what Nick brings to the team but I’d call him a borderline starter/bench player at best. He’s not the answer at center but he’s close. He plays hard, goes after rebounds and isn’t a slouch on offense even though he has a limited range. Hopefully the Suns can and will get someone more suited to be a starting center while also keeping Nick as a backup.
Q3 – Not including players that might be traded this summer, which players do you believe will NOT be on the Suns’ roster next season?
GuarGuar: I do not expect Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee, and Damion Lee to be on our team next year. I expect all three to not be retained/ let go. Tyus has been maybe the biggest disappointment for us this season. He’s way worse defensively than I ever expected and is tanking our lineups. Plumlee has been one of Bud’s favorites but he’s old and shouldn’t be brought back. This team needs athletes.
OldAz: This question is fairly limiting since most of the core roster is actually under contract so ignoring possible trades limits the discussion significantly. Also, what they do with the 3 big contracts will make a huge difference in the rest of the roster, so this is assuming the Suns stick with Book, KD, and by default because they can’t trade him, Beal.
I think both PGs are gone to greener pastures (for them) and we can put to bed last years discussion of simply needing a PG to solve the turnovers. Even with the turnovers Book and KD are just not as effective without the ball regularly in their hands. Even when it did work (with DA and CP3), Paul was relegated to an off ball guard shooting 3’s. I also think Lee will be moving on after really not having any role for another year.
I think Plumlee is 50:50 despite a lot of fans who don’t like his game. I actually think he has been one of the better Suns backup centers from recent years as an all around player. The problem is the Suns lack of a true starting center for him to play behind.
I think Bol gets his shot the rest of the way and with early Bird rights sticks around another year and 2 of the 3 two way players come back with either TyTy or Gillespie being swapped for a bigger developmental player.
Brrrberry: Book, Richards, and Oso are the only guys I’m basically certain will be back, all for different reasons. Oso for example because he’s got no value outside of Phoenix where he’s got very little value in the first place but we’re short on young bigs that play with energy so he’s got a roster spot next year. Richards is a bargain at $5M and again we’re short at C so he’s important, ideally coming off the bench next year. Dunn and Beal are very likely back too. Dunn because he’s highly valued, Beal because he’s not and more so because he’s got a NTC and wants to continue his life of being rich as a mofo here in the valley. Great place to live if you’ve got oodles of $. Dunn’s value could get him caught up in a trade especially if we end up under the 2nd apron which appears to be happening once they let go of Martin and the euro dude whose way past his prime.
KD is probably moved and realistically that changes the entire scope of everything. I was glad to hear Windhorst reporting the Suns were asking for Miami’s “entire team” in trade talks. The guy is still an All-Star starter and a HUGE draw ($$$) so I’m interested to see what his return looks like. Damn shame it didn’t work out here.
Rod: There’s actually a lot on my list. Tyus hasn’t worked out as a starter but will likely get a good payday from some other team to be their backup PG. Damion Lee seems to be a great locker room guy but he’s mostly only gotten garbage minutes this season. Monte Morris is pretty much another Tyus Jones with a less reliable 3-point shot. Plumlee isn’t a bad backup but I think the Suns would be better off giving more minutes to Oso next season and look for another center that could challenge Richards for the starting job – or at least one who has something resembling an outside shot to add to the mix. Plum’s also going to turn 35 in a couple of weeks and the Suns just need to get younger.
As for the Suns’ Two-Way contract guys, I really don’t expect Jalen Bridges back (he’s been okay in the G League but not much better than the average G Leaguer) but I’m not at all certain about Washington and Gillespie. They’ll both still be eligible for another Two-Way contract next season but I wouldn’t be too surprised if one of them gets his TWC converted into a standard contract before the end of the season to make sure the Suns can hang onto him. That would take waiving one of the vet minimum players already on the team but I don’t see that as a problem. I love their energy and hustle and adding more youth to the team – even on the bench – would be a plus IMO.
And then we’ve got the two new guys from Charlotte, Micic and Martin. If Ishbia decides to get below the 2nd tax apron this summer, they’re both likely gone. If not, who knows. I suppose that depends on whether either of them shows something the team likes enough to hang on to them for 2025-26.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Rookie Report
Ryan Dunn – 18.0 mpg, 6.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.5 bpg, 0.4 TO, 2.2 PF, 43.8% FG%, 30.6% 3P%, 47.8% FT%
- Last Week – 3.6 mpg, 0.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.0 apg, 0.0 spg, 0.5 bpg, 0.0 TO, 0.5 PF, 0.0% FG%, 0.0% 3P%, 0.0% FT%, 1 DNP-CD
Oso Ighodaro – 14.4 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 0.5 TO, 1.5 PF, 57.4% FG%, 0.0 3P%, 52.8% FT%
- Last Week – 1.2 mpg, 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.0 apg, 0.0 spg, 0.0 bpg, 0.0 TO, 0.0 PF, 0.0% FG%, 0.0 3P%, 0.0% FT%, 2 DNP-CD
Statistics courtesy of NBA.com.
Injury Report
Cody Martin (sports hernia) – Game Time Decision
Last Week’s poll results
Last week’s question was “Would you be upset if the Suns trade Devin Booker?”
52% – Yes.
18% – No.
30% – It depends on the return.
A total of 200 votes were cast.
Suns Trivia/History
Devin Booker is one of the GREATEST scorers we have EVER seen pic.twitter.com/ReOI5x4Wyy
— Booker Muse (@DevinBookerMuse) February 18, 2025
After last night’s game, Book’s high against the Raptors is now 31 points.
Quotes of the Week
“He (Kevin Durant) is one of the reasons why I go hard every day. I have been watching him since I was a kid, so getting to play with him now still doesn’t feel real sometimes.” – Bol Bol
“Either team I’m playing with, just go out there every night and give it my all. Just play and go out there like (Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer and Valley Suns coach John Little) harp on, just compete and live with the results. Just go out there and play my hardest every single night.” – TyTy Washington
Important Future Dates
March 1 – Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline
March 4 – Two-Way Player Signing Deadline
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
This week’s poll is…
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