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[Phoenix Suns]

5 Takeaways from Suns Media Day

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of covering my second Suns media day in person, joining a pair of Bright Siders in John Voita and Matthew Lissy. We took the back row by storm in a rather sparse attendance compared to seasons past.

There wasn’t that typical hype or “buzz” that we’ve seen in recent years, and that might be a good thing. Less national media. Less headlines. Less distractions. A few lawsuit questions sprinkled in, but other than that… the focus was basketball.

It was kind of refreshing. Here are five takeaways I had from the time there, and I’m sure many of you had the same thoughts.

#1) Mat Ishbia Preaches Patience​

“It Won’t Happen Overnight”

The front office wants fans to know this season is about creating a long-term foundation, not just short-term results. Ishbia’s comments centered on the future and the reality that this version of the Suns is still in building mode.

Talked a lot about this at Media Day. Success is making our fans proud of our team and excited to watch every game. Success is getting better every day all season. Most of all, success is building a championship culture and identity here in Phoenix. We are working on this with… https://t.co/qBxunZJ850

— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) September 24, 2025

He emphasized time, patience, and growth, a contrast from his “all-in” reputation when he first bought the team. Ishbia even admitted he came in a little too ambitious and is self-aware enough to know they failed and changes needed to be made.

We can appreciate the transparency at the very least. There is still a long way to go, but this is the first step of this retool. I am happy to (with caution) give him another shot to redeem himself. But like he said, it will take time to build this up the right way.

The question is, how much patience will Suns fans have?

#2) New Identity being implemented by Ott & Gregory​

Brian Gregory stressed “organization, identity, and doing our own thing,” and highlighted Oso Ighodaro as cultural tone-setter. I thought it was interesting that Ott, Gregory, and Brooks all went out of their way to praise Oso.

Jordan Ott doubled down on Gregory’s vision and praised Dillon Brooks’ work ethic and leadership. Ryan Dunn called Jordan Ott a “basketball fanatic” and Collin Gillespie confirmed, adding he’d label him a “basketball junkie” and it the first one in the gym and the last one to leave it every night.

"The edge and competitive spirit he plays with is unmatched… He's an incredible worker, one of the hardest workers I've seen."@Suns HC Jordan Ott with high praise for Dillon Brooks pic.twitter.com/H45rLF5QTj

— NBA (@NBA) September 24, 2025

Phoenix wants to be known less for “star hunting” and more for culture building. Talk is talk, but it’s good to hear they have a hungry group with something to prove.

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3. Booker Doubles Down on Loyalty: “Unfinished Business Here”​

Devin Booker dismissed any noise about his future, reaffirming that he’s all-in on Phoenix. After a summer of turbulence, Booker’s commitment is still the emotional anchor of the franchise. Book has never really brought high energy to interviews. He’s more of a calm and steady presence who never gets too high or too low.

"I have unfinished business here, I know how much [a championship] would mean to this city and this organization."@DevinBook on signing an extension with the Suns! pic.twitter.com/4eEoHejaVw

— NBA (@NBA) September 24, 2025

Devin Booker is clearly here to stay. We can only hope his patience persists during this rebuild. Mat Ishbia reiterated this, too: the Suns’ identity still starts and ends with No. 1. We’re all ready for a leap from Devin Booker.

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4. Dillon Brooks is All About “Smash Mouth” Basketball​

One thing I found particularly interesting about Brooks was his very calm, yet firm vibe. He wants to “be himself” with teammates and make them realize he’s not that bad, it’s just an on-court persona that he leans into. “People would hate me if I were like that all the time,” he said. Dillon leaned into his villain reputation: film junkie, relentless defender, “annoying” presence who makes life hard for opponents.

He wants to guard all five posisitons and play “smash mouth basketball”. We need more of that in the Valley.

"The one-on-one battle I love, I take that with a lot of pride… just bringing that competitive fire every single night."

Dillon Brooks ALWAYS has defensive intensity on the hardwood pic.twitter.com/dG1lCJoZnA

— NBA (@NBA) September 24, 2025

His bond with Jalen Green also came up, which is something I’m looking forward to seeing on the court with that built-in chemistry.

Takeaway: Brooks isn’t just talk. He’s setting the tone for the team’s defensive identity.

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5. Jalen Green is working on his in-between game​

Jalen Green’s focus is on developing an in-between game to punish defenses. He mentioned specifically that in the playoffs they were taking away the rim and the three from him, so he needs to make up the pay with his float game, mid-range pull-up, and more.

The bottom line is that Green feels wanted, and he’s excited for an opportunity where he’s going to get plenty of runway. Outside of Devin Booker, Jalen Green is going to be responsible for a large chunk of the Suns’ offensive output.

"It wasn't disappointing, it was more shocking. You kinda get over it, especially with the whole situation [with the Suns as] they are excited to have me here. That's a good feeling."

Jalen Green on being traded by the Rockets pic.twitter.com/eImXX2Foyo

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 25, 2025

There were several other interesting tidbits and pieces with Booker and the vets poking fun at Dunn and Oso “still being rookies” until game 1.

John Voita also covered Nigel Hayes-Davis, who had an excellent interview as well. Go read that here.

My favorite interview of @Suns Media Day? Nigel Hayes-Davis. Just…wow. pic.twitter.com/SapcsLrUUl

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) September 24, 2025

What was your favorite moment or quote from Media Day? Let us know below!

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...ys-highlights-interviews-quotes-training-camp

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Does Jalen Green really need to work on his “in between” game?

There are countless questions surrounding the Phoenix Suns as the season approaches. Media Day rarely provides all the answers, yet it has a way of pulling back the curtain enough to let light spill in, even if it reveals more mysteries in the process.

Among the storylines worth watching, Jalen Green stands as one of the most compelling figures. Acquired from the Houston Rockets in the Kevin Durant trade, he arrives in Phoenix young, athletic, and remarkably durable. It’s a combination that makes him one of the most fascinating additions of the summer.

To say that Green holds the key to this team’s fortunes might not be exaggeration. His growth could mirror the Suns’ trajectory. A former second overall pick, he now enters a defining season, one where the sting of being moved from a team that finished as the Western Conference’s second seed could serve as fuel. The question becomes whether that fire propels him into the next phase of his career, the phase where potential transforms into presence.

Media Day always brings the familiar refrain: “What have you been working on this offseason?” When Green answered, I felt my eyebrow rise.

“I’ve been working on my in between game a lot more,” Jalen informed the media on Wednesday. “The mid-range. Float. Just the in between game because as the season went on it was either three or to the cup and they was forcing me to have to score that in between game. Not allowing me to get all the way to the rim. And they would take away the three a lot more.”

Jalen Green said he's been working on his in-between game a lot more, whether that's floaters or pull-ups from the midrange. Teams were taking away his shots from 3 or at the rim, so he wants to adjust to the way he was being defended.

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) September 24, 2025

I’ll start by saying this. I understand where Jalen Green is coming from.

The NBA is a league of scouting reports and counterpunches. Opponents will take your strengths, put them under a microscope, and strip them away until you’re left with nothing but your flaws. For Green, the mid-range is that exposed nerve. Force him into it, particularly to his left, and the odds tilt heavily in your favor.

Pull up his shot chart from last season and the numbers don’t lie. From the left corner three he hit 26.7%. From the left short mid-range he landed at 25%. From the long mid-range on that side, again 26.7%. Three misses out of four in those zones. That’s not an “area of opportunity”. That’s a liability.

His self-awareness in acknowledging that weakness matters, but it also reveals the paradox of his game. Because while the mid-range is shaky, the three-point shot isn’t exactly ironclad either.

Green shot 35.4% from deep last season. Respectable, but not something that bends defenses in half. And yet nearly half his attempts — 46% of his shot diet — came from beyond the arc. By comparison, only 20.3% of his looks were mid-range, with 33.7% inside eight feet. His diet leaned heavily toward threes, and while defenses tried to chase him off the line, the truth is they might not have needed to.

Even more telling? He was only marginally better in the mid-range overall, connecting on 36.2%.

In other words, he lived between inefficiency and streakiness, carving out bursts of brilliance but rarely sustaining them. The data paints the picture of a player caught between archetypes: not the relentless rim attacker, not the deadeye shooter, not the mid-range maestro. Instead, he floats somewhere in the in-between, a talented scorer still searching for the place on the floor where his game becomes undeniable.

And that is why my eyebrow went up.

Of course you should refine every part of your game, no one faults a player for putting in that work. And yes, the mid-range has been a clear weakness for Jalen Green, particularly on the left side where his percentages fall off a cliff. He looks far more comfortable when he goes right, and the numbers bear that out.

Still, within the context of this Suns offense, prioritizing the mid-range feels out of step. That real estate belongs to Devin Booker. It’s where he feasts, where his rhythm is born. And over the past two seasons, Phoenix already had two other players who thrived in that same space. The last thing this team needs is more traffic in Booker’s kitchen.

Green’s pathway is different. His game should live at the rim, exploding to the cylinder and warping defensive gravity, which in turn opens up lanes and clean looks for everyone else. Layer on top of that the development of a reliable three-point shot, and suddenly he’s not clogging Booker’s territory. He’s complementing it.

Which is why his Media Day answer surprised me.

The offseason felt like the perfect window to push that 35.4% mark from deep into sturdier, above-average territory. That was his career-best season from beyond the arc, and it came in a year where his shot diet leaned heavily toward threes. Booker as the primary playmaker should, in theory, create even better looks for Green out there, not in the teeth of the mid-range.

Flip the script and put Green on the ball, and now you’re asking Booker to slide into a Klay Thompson-like role: working off screens, curling into his mid-range spots, punishing defenses with the most polished aspect of his game. That’s symmetry. That’s balance.

So no, I don’t fault Green for grinding away at a weak spot. Improvement is never wasted. But from a hierarchy standpoint, from the way this offense should hum, the mid-range isn’t where he’ll make his mark.

Maybe his Media Day answer was a throwaway line, the kind you give when the question is routine and you’re eager to move on. Maybe he really has found growth there. Time will tell. What I hope is that he also poured hours into the three-point line, because if Green can level up from respectable to reliable out there, it changes everything. It changes his game. It changes how defenses guard him.

And it changes the ceiling of this Suns team.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...s-mid-range-shooting-three-point-offense-role

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Devin Booker and Jalen Green don’t need a point guard

The Phoenix Suns enter another season with one point guard on the roster, Collin Gillespie, a converted two-way player from last season. So here comes another season of disjointed, unorganized possessions on the offensive end of the floor, right? Here comes another season where Devin Booker will not be maximized offensively, right?

But have we stopped to ask ourselves, does Booker want or need a point guard?

“I do. I enjoy it,” Booker said when asked if he enjoys dictating possessions. “I think it starts with both of us (Booker and Jalen Green) with the ability to score. And once you become a threat, it’s going to open up easier opportunities for everybody else.”

Now, as Suns fans, we have been blessed to see some of the games’ best point guards play in Phoenix, including Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul, to name a few. But if it is not one of those guys walking through the door, the ball should be in Booker’s and Green’s hands most of the time anyway, and not in the hands of a league-average point guard.

One of the reasons I believe Booker does not necessarily see the need for a point guard this season is that he wants to play a different style of basketball than what we have seen in Phoenix over the past few seasons.

“I think overall playing with a faster pace and getting up the court with what we call kick heads or skips. It doesn’t really matter,” Booker said.

Playing with a ball-dominant point guard usually means slowing the game down (think Jalen Brunson or Tre Young) and playing at a slower pace, which is the opposite of how Booker and Green want to play and a slow pace would hold back this team that has focused on becoming more athletic over the offseason. So, unless we can turn back time and take Tyrese Haliburton in the 2020 Draft, I do not think the Suns want to bring in a methodical, slow-paced point guard, especially one that gets targeted on defense.

“I think the way that we want to play and the play style that we’re trying to play like this year, that pace is gonna be the key to everything, and you know, playing fast and playing hard and getting out and running,” Green said.

If the Suns truly intend to play a faster, up-tempo pace like Booker and Green hinted at, it will require more than just him and Green to handle the ball and make those kick-ahead passes, and every player 1-4 will need to be comfortable making quick decisions with the ball in their hands. Playing a more frenetic style will not only help get Booker and Green easier opportunities in transition to score, but it should also help them play a faster pace in the half-court as well.

When Phoenix does have to play in the half-court, the ball will be in Booker’s and Green’s hands to create offense for themselves and for others. With more athletic lob threat centers than the last few seasons and Green’s explosiveness, Phoenix will put more pressure on the rim this season because of its athleticism. The athleticism that Green has to get to the rim specifically, will negate some of the need for a point guard because instead of manufacturing rim pressures through sets and organized offense, Green can start many offensive possessions by flying by his defender and putting the defense in rotations. And on the bright side, he has one of the best playmaking guards in Booker to learn from this season as well.

“I’m excited to play with Book. I think it’s going to be a good situation. I think I’m going to be able to learn a lot from him while at the same time, you know, adding what I could bring to the table,” Green said. “I think we’re going to complement each other a lot, especially, you know, with the system that [Jordan] Ott got us playing in. I think we’re going to play fast, and I think we’ll create a lot for each other and create for others. I’m very excited about it, and I think we’re going to shock a lot of people too.”

Another positive to not having to play a point guard 48 minutes is the defensive versatility it provides. Playing an undersized point guard often cripples NBA teams’ defenses, which Suns fans saw last season with Tyus Jones. The Suns’ projected starting lineup of Booker, Green, Ryan Dunn and media day favorite Dillon Brooks, the Suns have the most defensive versatility they’ve had on their roster since 2021 if Green and Booker both are locked in defensively.

The Suns are by no means a perfect roster right now, and one day may need to get an elite point guard to compete for championships again, but the Suns and Booker are perfectly fine to not have a point guard on the roster for the time being and are planning to play so fast that we will not even notice.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...reen-fast-pace-no-point-guard-offense-2025-26

 

[Phoenix Suns]

SBN Reacts: The Suns Ceiling is 40-59 Wins

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Phoenix Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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After an offseason full of changes on the roster and staff for the Phoenix Suns, the fans believe that this season has the potential to be better than last year’s.

Despite starting the year 8-1, the Suns went 28-45 down the stretch, for their worst season in 6 years last season, leading to them trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, buying out Bradley Beal and retooling the roster around Devin Booker with younger talent this summer.

That being said, if all goes right, most fans believe the Valley can have a better season than last year’s.

The results do not surprise me. With 42% of fans saying their ceiling is 20-39 wins, it makes me believe most fans think that if the Suns can wins 40-59 games this year think it’s more likely they win closer to 40 than 59.

With a young roster, potential is the key here when projecting for the team. Both Mark Williams and Jalen Green look to play the largest roles of their careers, and forward Ryan Dunn looks to play consistent starter minutes, something he didn’t do last season. A lot has been made of the chemistry that the Kevin Durant led Phoenix Suns had, if the Suns can establish a strong team identity early on, it could potentially help their new younger players get settled faster.

Additionally, after a few seasons playing both point guard and shooting guard, Devin Booker’s role is clear this season: he will be the team’s starting point guard. With the addition of Mark Williams, a strong interior scoring presence, and the ball in his hands more with Durant out of town, Booker could take a leap and be the most comfortable he’s ever been playing point guard.

While outside of Green, Booker and Williams, Phoenix does not have many reliable scorers, their defense could be improved from a season ago. Starting both Dillon Brooks and Dunn could give the Suns an opportunity for the team to mitigate opponents wing players.

There are a lot of ifs surrounded the team this season, not as many guarantees as you’d like to be confident in a team’s ability to compete in the Western Conference. If the Suns are going to reach their win ceiling this season, their young players are going to need to thrive in their new roles and reach their ceilings too.

All the Suns need to do is win 37 games this season to be better than last year, something that 2/3rds of the league did a season ago, but that can’t be guarantee with a young roster.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/suns-analysis/89820/sbn-reacts-the-suns-ceiling-is-40-59-wins

 

[Phoenix Suns]

The community has spoken and the final SunsRank is here for all to debate

Training camp is here, Media Day quotes have drifted down like confetti, and with them comes the moment of truth: our final preseason SunsRank. Votes were tallied, debates waged, egos bruised, and somewhere in the chaos, we arrived at a list that feels like both lines in the sand and guesswork.

That’s the charm of it, isn’t it? Every season sneaks up with a twist we didn’t see coming. Someone rises, someone falls, and by April we’re all pointing back at these rankings with a mix of laughter and disbelief. That unpredictability is the lifeblood of sport, the thing that keeps us coming back for more.

So here it is, the roster in its full unfiltered glory, as ranked by our community. This is how you see them, how the collective hive mind stacks the Suns heading into the grind. I’ve put these alongside the consensus rankings for our Bright Side writing team.

Cue the graphic, let’s see where the chips fell.

The biggest discrepancy between our SunsRank and the community’s? Nick Richards. The Bright Side crew has him pegged as a clear rotation piece, sitting 9th overall, while the broader hive mind slots him way down at 14.

Flip it around with Rasheer Fleming, and you see the opposite. Our writers are cautious, planting him at 14, but the community shows a surprising swell of belief, lifting him all the way to 11. These are the fractures that make SunsRank fascinating. It’s not the top names that stir the pot; it’s the margins, the gray area where potential and skepticism collide.

Where do our individual writers have players ranked? Once again, roll the graphic.

I asked them to open up, to explain why they planted their flags where they did. It’s messy, it’s passionate, it’s subjective basketball in its purest form.

Luke, you have Mark Williams ranked as the 2nd-best Sun, ahead of Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. Why?​

Luke Dacre Tynan: He is likely to be the only guy that could average a double-double here….top 6 center in the West here we come!!

Holden, you have Oso Ighodaro ranked as the 12th-best Sun, the lowest ranking of any Bright Side writer. What caused you to rank him so low?​

Holden Sherman: Oso had ample opportunities to prove himself and he couldn’t do so on a consistent basis. Additionally, he’s a tweener (not a perfect 4 or 5) and isn’t a threat from deep. I expect his role to be minimal this season with the Valley bringing in Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach.

Kevin, you have NHD ranked the highest among Bright Side writers. Why do you see in him that has him ranked as the 9th-best Sun?​

Kevin Humphreys: The Phoenix Suns lack proven wing players above 6’5” who can shoot the ball effectively and are reliable scorers. Nigel Hayes Davis has proven himself to be an efficient scorer and shooter in Europe, having won the Euroleague MVP award. While Ryan Dunn and Rasheer Fleming will look to improve in that department, the Suns will need players immediately to come in and be comfortable in scoring, especially when Devin Booker is off the floor. Hayes-Davis will be a key contributor off the bench this season because of his size, ability to score, and veteran experience.

Bruce, you ranked Jared Butler as the 13th-best Sun, higher than any other Bright Sider. What stood out to you that made him land so high on your list?​

Bruce Veliz: Butler has shown me on multiple teams that he can be a rotational piece if given the playing time, and I think Phoenix has one of the best opportunities for him this year. We also saw someone in Collin Gillespie similarly thrive in this role last year as a tertiary guard, and I feel Butler is that for this team.

Matthew, you have Collin Gillespie as the 6th-best Sun. Why do you have him so high?​

Matthew Lissy: He has to be the 6th man on this team if they want to have any success. I think that is his ceiling.

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What did we nail, and where did we completely whiff? Which of our writers do you find yourself nodding along with, and which ones make you want to throw your phone across the room? Drop your thoughts in the comments, because this is the kind of conversation that makes SunsRank more than a list. It’s a living, breathing snapshot of how we see this team before reality comes crashing in.

And we will be back to hold ourselves accountable. Come April, when the regular season ends, we’ll dig these rankings back up and see what aged like wine and what curdled in the sun. Maybe later if, by some miracle, this squad claws its way into the postseason. Either way, the receipts are here. Let’s see how the story unfolds.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...kings-community-vs-writers-booker-jalen-green

 

[Phoenix Suns]

FINALS BOUND! Mercury win series over Lynx, 3-1

For the first time since 2021, the Phoenix Mercury are back with a chance to play for a championship. In a series where they were not expected to prevail, facing the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, the Mercury defied the odds with an 86–81 win to close out the matchup 3–1.

What made it remarkable was not the victory itself but the way it unfolded. Entering the fourth quarter down 13 to the league’s best, the Mercury responded with a 31–13 surge, an avalanche of momentum that turned doubt into inevitability. The result is a trip to the WNBA Finals, the sixth in franchise history, with the pursuit of a first title since 2014 still alive.

This Mercury team is built on resiliency, and on Sunday night, that identity was on full display. They became the first team in WNBA playoff history to erase 14-point deficits in multiple games and emerge victorious, fueled by yet another furious fourth-quarter push.

“Big Shot” DeWanna Bonner lived up to the name, drilling all three of her attempts from deep and pouring in 11 points in the final frame, nearly matching Minnesota’s entire output of 13.

Alyssa Thomas finds DeWanna Bonner to extend the Mercury's lead late in the fourth

MIN-PHX | ESPN | WNBA Playoffs | @google pic.twitter.com/9os6ha4TZK

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 29, 2025

The Lynx felt the absence of Phee Collier, sidelined by an ankle injury after a controversial foul in Game 4, and her presence was missed as Minnesota faltered in closing time. Kayla McBride did everything in her power, erupting for 31 points, but it wasn’t enough.

The sellout crowd of 16,919 rose to its feet, turning the arena into an echo chamber of momentum that made every Lynx possession feel heavier. Alyssa Thomas powered her way to 23 points and 10 assists, Satou Sabally added 21 and 6, and Bonner capped it with 11 of her 13 in the pivotal fourth.

THE PHOENIX MERCURY ARE FINALS BOUND!!! pic.twitter.com/laUjSy6rYr

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 29, 2025

Now the Mercury wait. The Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever battle in a decisive Game 5 on Tuesday, with the winner meeting Phoenix in the Finals on Friday. If Indiana advances, the series begins in the Valley. If Las Vegas survives, the Mercury take their resiliency on the road.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...025-comeback-vs-minnesota-lynx-dewanna-bonner

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Phoenix Suns gambled on stars, Mercury gambled on culture

Results have not matched ambition since Mat Ishbia took over the Phoenix Suns. His first move was to flood the payroll with cash, a strategy that might have worked in another era, one before luxury-tax shackles and newly drawn apron lines made overspending a dead end. A decade earlier, the city might have been drenched in confetti. Instead, the Durant-and-Beal gamble carried short-term hope but little long-term sustainability.

On the other side of his basketball empire, Ishbia took a different path.

The Phoenix Mercury, buried by a 9–31 record and in need of a total teardown, became the canvas. In October of 2023, he and CEO Josh Bartelstein hired Nate Tibbetts as head coach, brought in Nick U’Ren from the Golden State Warriors’ front office to be general manager, and together they sketched out a new vision. Two years later, that vision has crystallized. The Mercury are headed to the WNBA Finals after toppling the Minnesota Lynx.

And so the contrast is sharp. The Mercury, reimagined and resilient, stand on the doorstep of a title. The Suns, burdened with bloated contracts and tempered expectations, are preparing for a season where “retool” feels more like reality than rebirth. For one franchise, the Finals are here. For the other, they remain a dream.

The debate surrounding Mat Ishbia’s strategy with the Suns has been relentless, and deservedly so. In a results-driven league, results have been absent. The approach of hiring mercenaries to chase a title rarely works, because true success requires a foundation. Without it, everything else eventually crumbles.

That’s where the Mercury provide a counterpoint. And perhaps a measure of hope.

Their run to the Finals isn’t a sign that the Suns will suddenly follow them to the NBA’s grand stage, but it does prove that a foundation can be rebuilt under Ishbia’s direction. For Suns fans, faith has been shaken since the Ishbia Era began. The rhetoric has flowed freely all offseason, but there are early indications of a philosophical reset, a process that takes time, patience, and vision to coalesce into a nucleus worth building around.

The Mercury have shown it can be done in two years. The Suns, however, operate in a far less forgiving ecosystem. Ishbia’s first gamble — a spend-heavy strategy that mortgaged the future — has left the franchise weighed down by stripped draft capital and $23 million in dead money stretching across five seasons. Those decisions created an anchor, one that could drag on the franchise long after the short-term hope faded.

So the contrast is clear. The Mercury’s rebuild, swift and purposeful, has already borne fruit. The Suns’ rebuild, delayed by the residue of reckless spending, may take far longer to materialize. One path has revealed possibility. The other, inevitability.

Still, with Ishbia locked in as the owner for the coming decades, there’s value in pausing (and maybe even smiling) at the evidence that strategy can be learned, adjusted, and redeployed.

The knee-jerk reactions on social media may cast his era as chaos, a hype machine of overreactions, but the truth is more nuanced. Mat Ishbia’s acquisition of the Suns has been, and continues to be, a good thing. Early results have disappointed, yes. The results rank alongside some of the franchise’s greatest letdowns. But those disappointments were born out of expectations. And to Ishbia’s credit, he created those expectations by swinging big.

What has never been in question is his willingness to spend; on the roster, on the fan experience, on the chance to build something lasting. The hope now is that he has absorbed the lessons of the modern NBA. If a culture can be established, even within the fractured structure of the current Suns roster, Ishbia will push to make it happen. That has always been the defining trait with him: he tries. He cares. He won’t sit idle and let the league dictate his reality. He wants to be the one shaping it.

Some owners view their teams strictly as investments, unwilling to risk their bottom line. Ishbia risks. On the Suns’ side, those risks have yet to bear fruit. On the Mercury’s side, they’ve produced a Finals berth. So take it as you will: a cautionary tale, or a glimpse of hope for the future.

The paradox of Mat Ishbia’s empire is that both truths can exist at once. The Suns, saddled with the weight of impatient ambition, show how fragile a franchise becomes when shortcuts replace structure. The Mercury, revitalized through patience and planning, prove that vision and alignment can still yield something sustainable. Together, they form a mirror of what Ishbia is as an owner: bold enough to risk, willing enough to spend, and human enough to learn from the outcomes.

Maybe that is the lesson for Phoenix fans staring down the uneven road ahead. The Suns’ gamble has already been paid for, in cash, picks, and patience, and the return has not yet arrived. The Mercury’s ascent reminds us that foundations can be rebuilt, that expectations can be earned rather than bought. For Ishbia, the question is not whether he will continue to try — he will — but whether his next attempt can merge the best of both approaches: the audacity to chase greatness and the discipline to build it.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...ategy-wnba-finals-rebuild-nba-future-analysis

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Durant and Beal used Media Day to close the book on their Phoenix chapter

The Phoenix Suns had their media day last Wednesday, out of sync, ahead of schedule, and maybe a little symbolic of where the franchise sits in the NBA pecking order. Because while most of the league was parading its fresh faces and recycled soundbites today, Phoenix was already checked off the list, luggage packed for a two-game trip to China after their October 3 preseason opener against the Lakers. Business first, narrative later.

And as the rest of the NBA finally caught up, it was hard not to feel that familiar sting of bitterness. For the past few years, Suns media day mattered. It was loud, it was hopeful, it was the kind of day you convinced yourself you’d see banners in the rafters before long. Now? The franchise has drifted into the background hum of NBA chatter. Still there, still relevant, but not exactly the headliner.

I support the path they’re on, I do. Retooling, resetting, reshaping. It makes sense. But I’m still rubbernecking at the other media days, scanning for soundbites from the ghosts of our high-rolling gamble.

Kevin Durant, the man who was supposed to drag this team across the finish line. Bradley Beal, the auxiliary star who was meant to make it all click. Both were bought with over $100 million worth of faith last season, and both spent their new-media podium time talking about futures elsewhere while the echoes of their time in Phoenix lingered like a hangover that refuses to clear.

“I wasn’t expecting to leave Phoenix that quickly,” Durant said while donning his Rockets red new threads.

"I wasn't expecting to leave Phoenix that quickly." – Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/ZkBfakTlsB

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) September 29, 2025

Not much was said about Phoenix, and truthfully, why would there be? The Suns are a ship already sailed for the U.S.S. Kevin Durant, drifting somewhere in his rearview mirror like all the others before it.

What he did offer was a line worth chewing on: “Every place that I’ve been, from the outside looking in, it may have been a tough breakup from each team that I’ve gone to.”

Then there was Bradley Beal, walking away from Phoenix with a $96.9 million buyout. Gulp. He tossed $13.9 million back into the pot on his way out the door (what a gentleman, right?) and the Suns promptly stretched that number across five years like some financial yoga pose nobody wanted to do in the first place. The parting gift? Beal signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, because of course he did.

“It’s a business, it’s no different than any other year. I’m in trade talks every year,” Beal said. “It’s very opinionated; that’s the landscape of the business. Phoenix made a decision…I can’t do nothing but respect it.”

He added that he had inflammation in his right knee that he tried to play through in Phoenix. He will be limited to start the season.

Bradley Beal: "I know who I am and what I am capable of." pic.twitter.com/XnBnVjdSta

— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) September 29, 2025

There are some other former Suns out there adjusting to life post-Phoenix. Tyus Jones, who came to Phoenix with the hope that he would stabilize the playmaking duties, is now in Orlando. They are a team of young, defensive-minded players who have their sights on taking advantage of a weakened Eastern Conference.

“We’re all on the same page with what we’re trying to do, and that’s what drew me to here is the chance to compete for a championship,” Jones told the media on Monday.

New #Magic guard Tyus Jones said he and his family have “done the Disney World thing” since he’s signed with Orlando.

As it relates to hoops, “We’re all on the same page with what we’re trying to do, and that’s what drew me to here is the chance to compete for a championship.” pic.twitter.com/Uv3RsX17xs

— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) September 29, 2025

---

There’s a line in Zach Bryan’s East Side of Sorrow that says, “Let it be, then let it go.” Forrest Gump, in his slow-drawl wisdom, echoed the same sentiment: “My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.” Different poets, same lesson. And that’s where we’re at.

Acknowledgement first. The painful nod to what could have been. Then the turn, steering the ship toward something new.

Sure, emotions will bubble up when the Suns see the Clippers three times in their first ten games, ghosts of what never materialized staring from across the hardwood. November 24, when Houston rolls into town for an NBC showcase, you’ll catch yourself drifting into the old loop of what-ifs. That’s natural. But hypotheticals are useless here, because the experiment already ran its course. We lived through it, and we know the answer.

It didn’t work.

So as the players tethered to one of the most spectacular clusterfucks in the history of the Suns’ organization scatter into new jerseys and new cities, the fans will do the same in spirit. Move on, recalibrate, and maybe even laugh at the absurdity of it all. Because if the Durant-Beal era was the punchline to the Suns’ biggest gamble, the only thing left now is to find the next story worth telling.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...tyus-jones-media-day-reaction-phoenix-fallout

 

[Phoenix Suns]

A new Suns season means a new Bright Side recap

We’re almost there. The season’s shadow is stretching across the desert floor, and I can feel the heat of it in my bones.

For me, it doesn’t begin with tip-off or Media Day quotes. It starts when I sit down and carve out my calendar, when I look at the schedule and mark which games I’ll be covering, which previews I’ll craft, which podcasts I’ll steer into the storm. That’s when it becomes real: the graphics, the Bright Side Baller polls, the machine of content revving back to life like a V8 engine idling before the green light.

Part of that engine, maybe my favorite gear, has always been the weekly recap. A chance not to summarize but to pin down the fleeting chaos of a season into mile markers, the little road signs telling us where we’ve been and maybe where we’re headed.

Last year, that sign read ‘Tracking 40’. I was obsessed with the Suns’ flirtation with the three-ball, the promise of Mike Budenholzer’s system, and whether Phoenix could transform from a midrange monastery into a three-point cathedral.

So week by week, we checked the numbers. Could they hoist 40 threes a night? Could they keep the percentage north of 40%? Would that alchemy equal wins? By spring, the math was in: 38 attempts per game, 12th in the league. Nearly 38% accuracy, third-best in the NBA. And yet, no playoffs. The lesson, if there was one, rang like a cracked bell: the super shot alone doesn’t save you. It takes more. Defense, cohesion, communication, coaching. It takes a soul, not just a stat.

But this year is a different animal. I keep circling back to the same question: what should this column be? What thread do we pull, week after week, to stitch together the bigger story of the Suns’ season?

Part of me wants to go all-in on the youth. A Rookie Watch, a Youth Movement Meter, something that treats this season like a growth chart on the wall. We’ve got four rookies, maybe even rope Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro into the mix, and the temptation is to track their minutes, their points-rebounds-assists, their crawl toward becoming real NBA players. I want the graphs, the lines climbing (or dipping) across the page, the visual proof of progress or struggle.

Another part of me wonders if the cleanest way is to zoom out, to track the Suns as a team organism. Offensive rating, defensive rating, week-to-week rank compared to the rest of the NBA. It wouldn’t be about one player or one trend, but a rolling MRI of the franchise itself. Where are the strengths, where are the weaknesses, and how do they shift as the grind wears on?

And then there’s Jalen Green. He’s the wild card, the litmus test, the kid carrying the ghost of the Durant trade on his back. His season is both a short-term referendum and a long-term key. If he thrives, the Suns’ options expand. If he fizzles, the questions multiply. Tracking him would be fascinating, but dangerous. Too narrow, maybe, and if an injury hits, the whole experiment collapses. Still, the gravitational pull is strong.

So here I am, staring at the fork in the road. Do we chart the rookies, measure the machine, or lock in on the lightning rod? That’s where you, the Bright Side community, come in. Because the point of this column has never been just my obsession. It’s been our pulse-check on this team.

So, what would you like to see tracked this year in the weekly update (that used to be Center of the Sun, one upon a time…)? I’m interested to hear what suggestions you have.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...side-rookie-tracker-jalen-green-team-analysis

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Suns rookie is stacking muscle

There’s no shortage of entry points into the story of the Phoenix Suns this season. The contrast is striking. On one hand, the infusion of youth brings a sense of curiosity and renewal. Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro enter their sophomore campaigns with the weight of potential hovering over them. On the other, fresh rookies arrive, stirring a buzz that feels different from years past. It’s less about patching holes, more about building something that lasts.

Among them, perhaps the most compelling is Khaman Maluach, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, better known by the moniker “Man Man.” At 19, he looks every bit the part of a player filling into his frame. The whispers about added size this summer weren’t smoke; on Monday, he stamped it himself: 261, 263 pounds, depending on when you caught him.

Rookie Khaman Maluach said he's up to 261, 263 pounds as he was listed at 253 on Phoenix Suns summer league roster. #Suns pic.twitter.com/FnM3DlYIMi

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) September 29, 2025

When you scour the internet for Man Man’s weight, you end up in a numbers maze.

ESPN lists him at 250. NBADraft.net bumps him to 255, the same site that once had Deandre Ayton tagged at 260 in 2018. The Suns’ Summer League roster slotted Maluach at 253. So which is it? Depends who you ask. But if Monday’s weigh-in holds true, Maluach is tipping the scale at 261, maybe 263. That’s ten pounds of added muscle draped over his already long, athletic frame.

The bulk matters. It’s survival gear for a league that punishes thin bodies and dares you to keep pace. The NBA is a collision of size and speed, and Maluach will feel both before the year is out. That’s the adjustment. Not whether he can run or jump — we know he can — but whether he can endure.

This season won’t be about dominance, it will be about development. Growing into his body. Learning the rhythm of the grind. Finding ways to handle the nightly physicality without losing himself in it. He’s just 19. Still a baby by basketball standards.

And the story of his rookie year won’t be written in stat lines but in patience, the kind that lets him stumble, recalibrate, and slowly become what he’s supposed to be.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...eight-gain-muscle-development-2025-nba-rookie

 

[Phoenix Suns]

The WNBA Finals are set

The Phoenix Mercury are heading back to the WNBA Finals, a stage that has both defined and eluded them over the years. This marks their sixth appearance, but the first since 2021, when the pursuit of a fourth championship fell short. Their history already glimmers with banners from 2007, 2009, and 2014, each title secured by different eras of Mercury basketball and each a reminder of their ability to rise when the odds are stacked.

This year’s run, though, feels like something out of a different script.

They weren’t the darlings of preseason predictions. No one circled the Mercury as a Finals lock. As the fourth seed, they entered the postseason with respect but not fear, overshadowed by the heavyweights above them.

Yet, in true Mercury fashion, they caught fire when it mattered most. They toppled the defending champion New York Liberty in the opening round. Then, with momentum building, they stormed past the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, winning 3-1 behind a pair of heroic comebacks.

On Tuesday night, the Las Vegas Aces and the Indiana Fever clashed in a winner-take-all Game 5, fighting for the right to face Phoenix.The question lingered in the desert air: who will step into the ring against this unlikely, unflinching Mercury squad?

The answer: The Las Vegas Aces.

It took overtime, but the Aces prevailed, winning 107-98 against a Fever squad decimated by injuries. WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson had 35 points to propel the Aces to their fourth WNBA Finals appearance since moving from San Antonio in 2017. Las Vegas won the Finals in 2022 and 2023.

The Mercury were 1-3 against the second-seeded Aces this season and enter as +108 underdogs. Game 1 is on Friday in Las Vegas at 5:00pm Arizona time.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...als-2025-preview-underdogs-championship-chase

 

[Phoenix Suns]

This precautionary measure very well may be a blessing in disguise for the Suns

This may seem bad, but truly I think this shows the Suns understand the situation with this big man.

The Phoenix Suns kick off their preseason debut against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and fans are eager to see them take the court. With all the new faces and significant changes this team underwent during the offseason, we expect a different outlook from past seasons.

That being said, there is one player who has already been ruled out for this contest, and that person is Mark Williams.

Per coach Jordan Ott, Mark Williams will NOT be playing on Friday

Also noted he has been a participant in everything but 5v5, & that this is all a part of their plan with him

— Stephen PridGeon-Garner (@StephenPG3) October 1, 2025

Williams was brought over to Phoenix via a trade on Draft Night 2025. The Suns gave a good ole’ ring to their besties on the East coast in Charlotte and struck a deal to get the center over to the Valley. After a failed trade to the Lakers at the past trade deadline, it was obvious Williams would be looking for a different home. This trade seemingly failed due to him “being injured,” and even if we do not know the full extent of that, it has been a stain on the big man’s career.

His availability has limited him from getting the recognition he deserves, and he needs to prove that he is one of the better big men in this league. With that being said, this concern still seems to be a concern in the Valley ahead of their first contest, but ultimately, this may not be as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

Williams’ Injury History​

Injuries in his career have always limited Williams. In his first three seasons, the center has suited up for only 104 games, with a season high of 44. This has severely limited him from showcasing his ability to be the rim protector and shot blocker he truly is.

In that small sample size, though, he has been impressive, averaging 12.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. If he were to have a healthier season, the actuality of him averaging a double-double is possible, and something the Suns can see as well.

Why could this be beneficial?​

Having a player start the season not participating in the first contest is not a good look for Phoenix, but in this situation, it could be better than most think. If Williams is truly not ready for five-on-five contests, as coach Jordan Ott illustrates here, he should take it slow.

Jordan Ott's practice availability today started with an opening statement on Mark Williams. pic.twitter.com/rXJs2ivPHD

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) October 1, 2025

Not to mention that the Suns have dealt with injury-riddled teams the past two seasons. With now having some insurance in their front court, featuring Khaman Maluach, Nick Richards, and Oso Ighodaro, this is no longer as glaring an issue as it was in the past. With this stability, Williams can fully catch up to speed and be ready when they need him most, by the regular season start.

With Charlotte also being an injury-riddled team in the past, it shows why they did not take this precautionary time with Williams in the past. Since they needed him, they would rush him out there, whereas Phoenix is doing the opposite, which could give some promise.

Final Thoughts​

This is not the best thing for the Suns, but it is not the worst thing that could happen to start the year. With them having the additional depth in the front court, this should allow the remaining centers to find their spot in the rotation. For Mark, it will enable him to be fully committed to the start of the season and give the team the best option for a promising building year out west.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...s-injury-update-lakers-debut-frontcourt-depth

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Rasheer Fleming’s path to proving himself runs through defense

The last rookie to go through the media session during this Training Camp, Rasheer Fleming talks to us about his defense, his strengths, and his inspirations.

---

Defensive Technique and IQ​

RF has many defensive qualities. According to him, his positioning would be his main asset:

“Really positioning like positioning on the floor, knowing where to be at different times when the ball is moving.”

He reflects on the impact his college coach had on his game. Physically, there is no doubt about his ability to keep up with the NBA pace.

Mentally, there may be a few more questions:

“So I think like five out spacing like we all Like. l’ve done that before at St. Joe’s the low all the all the shift spots on defense low man all the like I kind of the placement and stuff I kind of had a good idea already because I was at St. Joe’s. So I think my coach uh Billy Lang did a good job.”

Finally, he assures that Billy Lang has prepared him well for the demanding professional world of the NBA. It is under his guidance that he has been able to develop his defensive IQ and game reading.

---

Mindset and Inspiration​

Rasheer Fleming already impresses with his mindset. Confidence in this half of the court, he insists and explains that he is already defending at a very high level, and that it is this consistency that will propel him onto the courts:

“I think especially right now uh guarding the way I do I think I’ve been guarding like at a super high level. So if I continue to do like do that and do that in the games and stuff I think that’s going to take me far.”

He builds on his learning — both technically and mentally — from a player like Ryan Dunn, who isn’t afraid to go into battle every night against the best scorer in the league:

“It’s been more like technique stuff like in terms of like placement and stuff. but I can see it in his game like how he’s just a fearless defender. Like he can guard one through five. I think I can be in that same level as that. So, I kind of just take heed to how he plays defense and just take heed to what he tells me and its just go from there.”

Rasheer Fleming knows what he needs to do to improve and earn playing time. He knows who he can rely on to progress (even if Ryan is just a sophomore).

Perhaps a little too humble and reserved, he could establish himself firmly in an NBA rotation if he lets loose.

---

Physical Assets and Concrete Impact​

The transition from college to the NBA seems to be doing him good. His game has gained in mobility and confidence, which is reflected in the quality of his footwork:

“I’m moving my feet much better.”

Beyond this technical progression, Rasheer Fleming primarily highlights the positive impact he can have on possessions. He does not settle for being a mere positional defender; he wants to influence the course of the game:

“Like guarding multiple positions, high level, but like really getting us possessions like and not just being out there defending. Like if I can get steals because of my length, being able to get steals, offensive rebound like really rebound, I’m they like me at the rebounding area too because of my like attributes.”

This versatility, coupled with his physical attributes, allows him not only to contain different opposing profiles but also to turn his defensive efforts into opportunities for his team.

As he mentions at the start, it is thanks to his consistency combined with his defensive volume and statistical production (rebounds, steals, stops) that he will quickly make a name for himself in an NBA rotation.

---

In an NBA where every minute is precious, especially for rookies, Fleming knows what will enable him to prove himself: his defense. It is his foundation, his common language with the staff, and his ticket to gaining the trust of a group.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...ning-camp-defense-strengths-inspirations-2025

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Game Preview: WE SUNS HAVE BASKETBALL TONIGHT!

Who: Phoenix Suns (0-0) @ Los Angeles Lakers (0-0)

When: 7:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Acrisure Arena, Palm Desert, California

Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, NBATV

Listen: KMVP 98.7

---

Without further ado, the curtain lifts on the first step toward the 2025–26 season. No, the result won’t matter in the standings. But this isn’t Summer League, and it’s not a scrimmage tucked away from the spotlight. This is the Phoenix Suns, lacing up under the lights, presenting a glimpse of the team that will define the months ahead.

There’s a spark in the air, the kind that crawls across your skin before the tip, because tonight, the Phoenix Suns play basketball.

It begins in Palm Desert, where the Suns meet the Los Angeles Lakers in the first of four preseason tilts. From there, it’s a journey across the globe, as the team heads to Macao, China, for a two-game showcase against the Brooklyn Nets before returning home.

Four games in total, a slim slate by NBA standards, but enough to whet the appetite and shape first impressions.

This moment is less about wins and losses and more about unveiling. For the first time, we see the Suns stripped of the “highest payroll in basketball” label, yet free from the crushing weight of last year’s expectations. It’s basketball in its most intriguing form: a preview, a promise, a chance to watch the raw clay take its first steps toward becoming sculpture.

Probable Starters​

I’m taking a stab here. It’s the preseason, after all.

Injury Report​

Suns​

• Mark Williams — OUT (Coach’s decision)
• Jalen Green — OUT (Hamstring)

Lakers​

• LeBron James — OUT (Glute)
• Maxi Kleber — OUT (Quad)
• Marcus Smart — OUT (Achilles)
• Adou Thiero — QUESTIONABLE (Knee)

What to Watch For​

I’ll be watching everyone tonight. Not for the box score, but for the little things. How they move. How they carry themselves in live action.

And then there’s Jordan Ott.

This is our first chance to see his fingerprints on the Suns, both offensively and defensively. Early whispers point to a philosophy built on chaos: extra possessions, crashing the glass, full-court pressure, disruption at every turn. It’s ambitious, it’s risky, and it begs the question: how will it actually look when five players are trying to execute it in real time? More importantly, how will this roster respond?

Layer that with his first crack at rotations. Preseason lineups are never gospel. No one should overreact to who checks in at the eight-minute mark of the first quarter. But they do offer hints. The choices Ott makes now, even in a game that technically doesn’t matter, will ripple forward into how this team begins to define itself.

And of course, the rookies. This is their night. Devin Booker won’t be playing 35 minutes in Palm Desert, but that only widens the stage for fresh legs. Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea, Khaman “Man Man” Maluach. Their real introduction comes here. Not Summer League speed, not practice reps, but NBA pace against NBA players.

Key to a Suns Win​

Wins don’t matter in the preseason. Not in the box score, anyway. The column doesn’t count, the standings don’t shift. What matters is far less tangible but infinitely more important.

A win is seeing a group of players buying in, voices rising in unison as they communicate through new systems placed before them. A win is confidence pulsing through rotations, movements that look less like guesswork and more like instinct. A win is the chatter on defense, the quick handoffs on offense, the kind of dialogue that turns schemes into muscle memory.

Most of all, a win is attitude. Effort. The unteachable pieces of basketball that you recognize not in the stat sheet but in the body language, the energy, the way five players move as one.

That’s the win column that matters in early October.

Prediction​

Predictions don’t matter in the preseason. They’re about as useful as Summer League box scores or August power rankings. But fine. I’ll throw one out there anyway.

Suns 107, Lakers 103

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...-vs-suns-live-stream-tv-channel-injury-report

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Ryan Dunn secures another year on his rookie deal

In a move that barely registers as news yet still needs its moment in the ledger, the Phoenix Suns have exercised their team option on second-year wing Ryan Dunn. Drafted 28th overall in 2024, this is the expected outcome. The ink still has to dry, the paperwork still has to be filed, and the “t’s” and lowercase “j’s” still have to get their ceremonial dots.

The Phoenix Suns have exercised their 2026-27 rookie scale team option for forward Ryan Dunn, a league source told @spotrac.

This is Dunn's third-year option. He'll be under contract for next season at $2.8M.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 2, 2025

Dunn’s rookie deal was four years, $13 million, though anyone who’s followed this league knows the fine print is where the story lives. The first two years guaranteed, security in the short term. The last two tied to team option, a test of belief and patience.

Today’s decision locks him in at $2.8 million for the 2026–27 season. One year from now, the choice escalates: exercise the option and Dunn earns $5 million in 2027–28, decline, and he’s standing on the doorstep of restricted free agency with an $8 million qualifying offer and a $15 million cap hold looming over the books.

OFFICIAL: The Phoenix Suns exercise third-year option on Ryan Dunn. pic.twitter.com/r5sPNGs84c

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 2, 2025

Dunn enters year two carrying the weight of expectation, the whispered hope of a leap, the growing murmur that he could be the Suns’ starting power forward. It’s a role both natural and unnatural for him. Natural because his length and instincts make him a defensive disruptor. Unnatural because his offensive game is still an unfinished sketch, with lines sharp on one side, smudged and incomplete on the other.

He averaged 6.9 points as a rookie while launching 3.6 threes per game, hitting only 31.1%. His free throws? A jarring 48.7%. The defensive IQ is there, the motor is undeniable, but in today’s league you don’t survive as a wing-forward hybrid if you can’t make defenses pay. And Dunn knows it.

This is the crossroads. The youth movement in Phoenix has given him space to fail and room to grow, but it won’t grant him immunity. His efficiency has to climb, and his offense has to matter. And tomorrow night, under the lights against the Lakers in the Suns’ first preseason game, we’ll begin to see whether Ryan Dunn is a project waiting to blossom or a role player fighting to stick.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...an-dunn-rookie-contract-future-role-2026-2027

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Game Recap: Suns show grit and glimpses of identity in 103-81 preseason win over Lakers

It was a game that will never touch the standings, yet tonight in Palm Desert, under the preseason lights as the Phoenix Suns opened the 2025–26 campaign against the Los Angeles Lakers, it felt like it mattered. Phoenix stands at an inflection point, a franchise bending its trajectory. New head coach. Fourteen new players. A philosophy that is more blueprint than certainty. This was our first glimpse of what the purple-and-orange could become.

And they impressed.

Communication was sharp, hustle relentless, turnovers forced, offensive rebounds piled high. All the buzzwords Brian Gregory spoke when he stepped into the role of general manager — alignment, identity, accountability — took form on the hardwood. Seeds planted months ago are beginning to break the surface, fragile yet promising, a harvest hinted at beneath the desert lights.

Bringing this hustle to a court near you soon pic.twitter.com/v782FePEIv

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 4, 2025

Devin Booker poured in 24 points across 25 minutes, carrying himself like the alpha he once was, before a pair of mercenaries wandered into town and muddied the hierarchy. Dillon Brooks, meanwhile, was everything his reputation promised: relentless, frenetic, a defensive dog gnawing at every matchup in sight.

The scoreboard will tell you 103–81, a preseason footnote with no bearing on April or May. But for a franchise starving for clarity, for cohesion, for a compass pointing north, the signs of potential were etched into the Coachella Valley night. It was a reminder that direction can matter more than the destination when the journey is beginning anew.

Game Flow​

First Half ​

A new season begins in the preseason. Dillon Brooks at power forward, Oso Ighodaro at the five. It’s a lineup that may never resurface when the games truly count, yet it wasted no time offering a glimpse of contrast.

Brooks as the shapeshifter, sliding from perimeter defense on one trip to wrestling with Deandre Ayton in the low post the next. His presence was unavoidable. Relentless energy, versatility as a weapon, the constant chirp toward officials, a body in motion in every frame. Brooks didn’t ease his way into the night, he stamped it.

Watching Dillon Brooks off ball is worth the price of admission

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 4, 2025

With Jalen Green unavailable, Grayson Allen slid into the starting lineup and the fit felt natural. The give-and-take with Devin Booker, the way they mirrored and fed off one another, carried a rhythm you could recognize immediately. It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t tentative. It was a welcome sign of chemistry, the kind that hints at something sustainable once the season takes shape.

For a team that lacked hustle a season ago, the opening quarter felt like a recalibration. Every player who checked in carried a pulse of urgency, a sense that effort was non-negotiable. Active hands disrupted passing lanes, pressure turned possessions into opportunities, and by the time the scoreboard read 26–15 with 2:31 left in the first, the Suns had already carved out something that looked a lot like “identity”.*

*I know, I know. It’s only preseason.

Phoenix opened sharp, hitting 42.9% from three in the first quarter (6-of-14), while the Lakers managed only 1-of-7. The Suns forced 6 turnovers and turned them into 6 points, all while committing just 2 of their own. But the number that told the story? 13 second-chance points, nearly matching the Lakers’ entire output for the period.

Am I reading that box court right? Suns had 13 second chance points in the first? And the Lakers scored 16 total? And they turned over the Lakers 6 times?

Interesting…

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 4, 2025

After one, it was all Suns, 31–16.

The pace dragged in the second quarter as the Lakers stormed out on a 12–3 run, cutting the lead to six. It wasn’t effort that slipped, it was the shooting that cooled. And then, in a scene as familiar as Hollywood reruns, the whistles tilted. Even in preseason, the Lakers find a way to get the calls. Los Angeles shot 22 free throws in the half.

Free throws were the glaring miss in the first half. Phoenix was 8-of-15 from the line. For a team that has to squeeze every ounce of opportunity this season, those freebies can’t be left behind.

We saw more of Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks than expected, each logging 15:36. Booker tallied 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting with 5 assists, while Brooks knocked down all three of his threes for 9 points, added an assist, a rebound, and plenty of well-placed trash talk.

Booker hit us with something we don’t see every day. The sky hook. Or in this case…

Sky Book pic.twitter.com/Go6dLhA6bE

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 4, 2025

The Lakers edged the Suns 28–26 in the second, paced by 9 from Austin Reaves and 7 from Jake LaRavia. Even so, the Suns carried a 57–44 lead into the half.

Second Half​

The starters opened the third with a burst, ripping off a 6–0 run capped by a possession that featured three offensive rebounds and ended with a Grayson Allen three. If Jordan Ott’s vision is built on extra possessions, tonight was the blueprint.

Nick Richards added his own stamp, flashing the kind of activity and positioning that anchored the Suns’ success. He denied entry passes, battled with purpose, and played with an authority that set the tone.

Nick with AUTHORITY! pic.twitter.com/7wdeQHiRsN

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 4, 2025

The attitude, the effort, the hustle; it all carried through the third.

The ball zipped, the opportunities opened, and Phoenix stretched its lead to 27. The Suns hit 50% from the field while smothering the Lakers to a meager 22.2%.

Extra possessions told the story: six more shots than L.A. in the quarter, led by Devin Booker’s 10 points, Grayson Allen’s five, and Dillon Brooks punctuating it all with a hustle-fueled steal that felt like a statement.

The amount of “give a shit” I’ve seen from the Suns in this preseason game is so very refreshing to see pic.twitter.com/YeojqxXNVO

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 4, 2025

With a little over two minutes left in the third, the curtain lifted on the 10th overall pick of the 2025 draft—Khaman Maluach. First impression? He looks big.

After three quarters, the Suns held a commanding 87–62 lead.

Fleming’s length on defense stood out immediately. Pair that with his athleticism, and you had a rookie flying around with purpose. His closeouts were relentless, the kind of energy that jumps off the floor, and easily the most impressive thing I saw in the final nine minutes.

But as Phoenix sputtered, managing only three points in the first six minutes, the Lakers crept back in. RJ Davis and Dalton Knecht started heating up, sparking a 13–3 run that chipped away at the Suns’ cushion.

The final highlight of the night came via Man Man on a highlight dunk with three minutes left.

MALUACH pic.twitter.com/11QQlhIEFs

— Cage (@ridiculouscage) October 4, 2025

---

Up Next​

It’ll be a week before we see Phoenix play again, as they are preparing to head to China to play a pair against the Brooklyn Nets next Friday.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...-recap-devin-booker-dillon-brooks-phoenix-win

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Impressions from the Phoenix Suns’ preseason debut

I found myself mowing the lawn on this pleasant October morning, AirPods jammed in my ears to muffle the whir of my battery-driven mower. Yes, battery-driven. I abandoned the gas guzzler this past summer, not because I suddenly cared about saving the planet, but because the old beast was unreliable. Sure, I could’ve fixed it. It’s probably a fuel pump issue, but why wrestle with combustion when lithium-ion offers quiet obedience? Too much information? Probably. But bear with me. I promise there’s a point.

So there I was, pacing back-and-forth across the yard, juking around my 90-pound tortoise who believes lawn equipment is the enemy, when my brain did what it always does: reran last night’s Suns game on loop. A meaningless preseason tilt, yes, but one in which Phoenix dismantled the Lakers 103–81. The kind of game you’re supposed to dismiss, yet impossible to ignore. Because in a city starved for cohesion, even a flicker of teamwork feels like a revelation.

Amid the hum of the mower and the reptilian death-charge of my tortoise, my “The 90’s Rocked…Here’s Why” playlist shuffled to something that intrigued me: The Impression That I Get by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. A ska-punk anthem that sparked a nostalgic swing movement in early 1997.

Have you ever been close to tragedy
Or been close to folks who have?
Have you ever felt a pain so powerful
So heavy you collapse?

Why yes, Dicky Barrett, I have.

Last year for the Phoenix Suns was no quirky ska anthem. It was a funeral dirge, a season so heavy it threatened to crush us under the weight of its own disappointment. We all carried it, every fan, every hopeless optimist who thought they were buying into something real. And what we got instead was tragedy in sneakers, a collapse that redefined the word “underwhelming”.

But pages turn, even when they’re smudged with failure. This year is different. It has to be different. And last night, preseason be damned, we caught a glimpse of a team that may not conquer the league, may not overwhelm the standings, but might actually fight. Possession by possession. Game after game.

And after what we endured, those small sparks of effort, cohesion, and intent feel like oxygen in a room we’d long thought was sealed shut.

Have you ever had the odds stacked up so high
You need a strength most don’t possess?
Or has it ever come down to do or die?
You’ve got to rise above the rest

Is that Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton on the sax?

And that’s where we are. The deck is stacked like a Vegas poker table with the dealer winking at your bad hand. The over-under is parked at 31.5 wins. Bleacher Report, in its infinite wisdom, has the Suns limping to 26. And some of the fine, jaded folks on this very site? They’ve got Phoenix scraping the bottom with fewer than 20.

So I did the only rational thing a man can do on a Saturday morning when faced with apocalyptic projections and a belligerent tortoise: finished the lawn, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and sat down to write out the impressions that I got.

Never had to knock on wood​

It wasn’t the headline moment of the night, but seeing Khaman Maluach on the floor flicked a switch inside me. Hope, or at least the early draft of it. I found some wood, and I began a-knockin’.

The kid is enormous. 260+ pounds, 7’2”, and somehow only nineteen years old. Yes, he played with a certain tentativeness, the kind you’d expect from a teenager suddenly squaring off against grown men, but there was also something else: fluidity. He wasn’t lumbering. He wasn’t awkward. He was colliding, moving, attacking space with a kind of raw athleticism that made you lean forward in your seat.

WELCOME TO THE ASSOCIATION, KHAMAN! pic.twitter.com/28T1VJ0178

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 4, 2025

It all culminated in a slam dunk late in the game, sure, but the true story was found in the in-betweens. The half-rolls instead of full ones. The missed box-outs where his size should have swallowed smaller bodies whole. These are the rookie wrinkles, the growing pains, the moments you file away rather than judge.

It’s preseason, game one, his first taste of NBA gravity. This is the opening paragraph of his story, not the epilogue. You don’t hang a conclusion on that. You savor the fact that, for a night, he looked like he belonged. And there’s real value in that.

As for Rasheer Fleming? His offensive awareness is still being mapped out, much as it was in Summer League. The timing, the spacing, the instinct of when to cut or float. It’ll take time.

But defensively? He stretched out across the court like a condor, wingspan swallowing passing lanes, closeouts disrupting three-point shooters before they could even commit. He made opposing shooters think twice. You could see it. The hesitation, the recalibration. That’s impact.

Will he change the course of the season? Probably not. But if he can carve out a role where his offense is steady enough to keep him tethered to the floor, his defense might well be the thing that cements his place.

And I’m glad I haven’t yet​

I’m glad I haven’t yet seen the team betray the promises the front office made. Because imagine if they had. Imagine if this first preseason glimpse was flat, disconnected, lazy. Imagine if all that talk about hustle and grit turned out to be another round of corporate spin. The backlash would’ve written itself.

But instead, what we got was a team that actually looked like it had a pulse. Full-court pressure. Active hands on both ends. Relentless rim attacks. All the philosophical bullet points we were spoon-fed this summer actually showed up in real time. And through one meaningless game in October, you walk away feeling…confident? Maybe not about wins, but about intent. And intent matters.

The most telling difference, though, was sound.

This Suns team talks

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 4, 2025

Last year’s team was silent. A mute, anxious collection of individuals who either didn’t know how to communicate or didn’t want to. Fear of being wrong, fear of confrontation, fear of stepping outside their own bubble. It all added up to a team that played in whispers.

Last night was different. There was chatter, constant and unapologetic. Rotations barked out. Switches called. A team sounding like a team. And maybe that doesn’t guarantee victories. Maybe the win total still lands south of respectable. But basketball history has a simple truth: teams win games more often than collections of players.

And for the first time in too long, Phoenix looked like the former.

Because I’m sure it isn’t good​

It’s not going to be good for opposing teams this year when they line up to play against Dillon Brooks.

I knew I was going to love him. Not the box-score stuff, not the highlight-chasing junk food, but the subtler art in the way he plays. Those little disruptions that change the temperature of a game without anyone noticing on first watch. The man is a floor-lifter, and it was obvious from the jump. Yeah, he’s knocked on wood.

There was a possession where he was guarding the weak-side perimeter player, but sagged into the paint to give a sneaky tug to Deandre Ayton, just enough to derail this movement. He then sprinted back to smother his actual man on the perimeter. Off-ball defense shouldn’t be this entertaining, but with Brooks, it feels like theater. He is a disruptor in every sense of the word.

It reminded me of the joy last season when Ryan Dunn started making his presence known, forcing turnovers, creating havoc. That joy was fleeting, though, because the Suns as a whole were allergic to disruption. They allowed opponents to waltz (or perhaps West Coast swing) their way through games. Brooks doesn’t allow that. With him on the court, and with teammates taking their cues from his approach, the vibe changes. The standard changes.

Even in the huddle, he was there. Pulling players in, locking eyes, echoing Coach Ott, making sure everyone was awake. You can dismiss a dive for a loose ball in the third quarter of a meaningless preseason game if you want. But in Phoenix, where we’ve been starved for sweat equity, that shit matters.

The amount of “give a shit” I’ve seen from the Suns in this preseason game is so very refreshing to see pic.twitter.com/YeojqxXNVO

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 4, 2025

And when I tossed this take on Twitter, it caught fire. The responses poured in, especially from Rockets fans. You could feel their ache through the replies. They know exactly what they lost. They know Dillon Brooks wasn’t just a player; he was connective tissue, the kind of guy you don’t miss until he’s gone.

And in Phoenix, he’s the kind of guy we’ve been waiting for.

That’s the impression that I get​

We’re in for a far more engaging brand of basketball this season.

Last year will always hang in the background, the scorned ex-girlfriend who refused to communicate, who let us down at every turn. And this year, this season, it’s the new relationship. The one we’ll constantly and unfairly compare to the last.

But I’ve got butterflies again. Yes, yes, it’s one effing preseason game. And I know disappointment will hurl me back to earth like gravity because of my Saturday morning optimism. But there’s going to be joy in watching this team this year. Joy in the hustle, in the small details, in the connective tissue of basketball that last year’s group refused to provide. That team gave us no joy; even their successes felt transactional, the bare minimum, the rent check sliding across the counter.

This year feels different. There’s a chance for a culture shift, a chance for basketball that’s not only played but enjoyed. It might not cash out into wins. But it could cash out into something Phoenix hasn’t felt in too long: the thrill of loving the game again. And that’s the impression that I get.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...pressions-takeaways-booker-dillon-brooks-2025

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Suns add longtime NBA executive Ed Stefanski as front office advisor

The Phoenix Suns have added additional depth in their front office personnel. Longtime NBA executive Ed Stefanski will join the Suns’ front office as an advisor.

Marc Stein reported the new addition to the Suns’ FO. Stefanski has spent time with the Nets,76ers, Raptors, Grizzlies, and Pistons.

The Suns have hired longtime NBA executive Ed Stefanski as a front office adviser, league sources tell @TheSteinLine.

Stefanski joins former MVP guard Steve Nash as a recent Suns addition in an advisory capacity after stints with the Nets, 76ers, Raptors, Grizzlies and Pistons.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 4, 2025

Just days after announcing Steve Nash will be around, the Suns continue to show they are invested in collaboration and growth.

Stefanski most recently served as a senior advisor to Pistons owner Tom Gores, acting as the de facto head of basketball operations for two years until Troy Weaver was brought in as GM in 2020. His wealth of experience brings another basketball mind to a situation with a couple of “firsts” in head coach Jordan Ott and general manager Brian Gregory.

Fun fact: Ed Stefanski’s son is the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Ed Stefanski is, of course, the father of #Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. https://t.co/CCwohrYUd2

— Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) October 4, 2025

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...xecutive-ed-stefanski-as-front-office-advisor