Will there be more Monte to come for the Suns?

Monte Morris was missing but now found. Will he continue to see time when the Suns are in full strength?

The Phoenix Suns are aiming to be at full strength when they return to the court Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s the current speculation—and exactly what the fan base needs to see and hear to endure another week of basketball without spiraling into thoughts of tanking the season, starting over, or throwing out trade scenarios for every player on the roster.

We’ll likely have to wait until Tuesday for confirmation that Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant will return to the court. Beal has missed five consecutive games with a calf strain, while Durant has been sidelined for six straight games with the same issue. In their absence, we did see a consistent stretch of games from Monte Morris, the Suns’ backup point guard we were all excited to see in purple and orange—though we haven’t seen much from him overall this season.

In the 2018-19 season, Monte Morris was a reliable sixth man for the Denver Nuggets, playing all 82 games, averaging 10 points per game, and shooting an impressive 40% from three. While those stats weren’t the only things the Suns were counting on, having a backup point guard who didn’t turn the ball over was a significant need for a team that struggled with turnovers last season. We know this—I know! So, why haven’t the Suns seen much of Morris this season?

Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

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Many expected Morris to have a greater impact off the bench, averaging just nine minutes, three points, and a little over one assist per game during his first six games of the season. With the Suns starting the season 5-1, it seemed there was a recipe for their early success. However, after those six games, Morris was absent from the rotation for the next four.

I didn’t see that coming—mostly because I anticipated more point guard play from the Suns to kick off the season. Instead, the team leaned heavily on their three stars: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant.

In the first nine games before his injury, Kevin Durant averaged 38.8 minutes per game—the most he’s played since his fourth season in the league with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Suns needed every one of those minutes to achieve their impressive 8-1 start. Many of the games were close, and late-game heroics from Durant played a crucial role in their early success. However, relying so heavily on Durant for extended stretches may have contributed to his injury.

Looking ahead, can the Suns place more trust in Monte Morris as a ball-handler and facilitator for the second unit? And perhaps even lean on Tyus Jones in that role? The season is long, and overburdening their stars this early could prove unsustainable. Balancing their workload will be key to maintaining their momentum and health throughout the year.

I love that the Suns started strong, with Durant, Booker, and Beal giving everything they had to achieve an 8-1 record. However, leaning on Monte Morris a bit more could potentially put the team in a better spot health-wise. The role Morris was intended to play might have been left somewhat undefined, depending on how the season unfolded. Even so, coming into the season, Morris expressed his willingness to embrace whatever role the Suns needed him to fill—something they might want to capitalize on moving forward.

With Beal taking on a significant role at the start of the second and fourth quarters alongside the bench unit, it’s clear why Morris’s minutes have diminished and why he’s been out of the rotation in some games. However, I agree that leaning on Morris’s shot-making and playmaking more consistently could benefit the team in the long run. He has the tools to provide stability, reduce the workload on the stars, and help maintain the team’s pace and efficiency throughout the season.