RSS Suns Team Notes

[Phoenix Suns]

The Suns’ youth movement is colliding with reality, and Oso Ighodaro is at the center

I find myself in an interesting spot. All season, I’ve been preaching patience, saying the Suns should be careful about tossing their rookies into deep water too soon. Development isn’t about minutes alone, it’s about context, rhythm, and opportunity. Put a player in the wrong spot too early, and you risk bruising confidence before it ever hardens.

I think back to Sunday night against the Spurs, when the Suns had to deal with the 7’5” riddle that is Victor Wembanyama. You could make the case for rolling out 7’2” Khaman Maluach to match size with size, guard length with length. It sounds logical in theory, but it’s the kind of logic that falls apart the moment the ball tips. Wembanyama thrives on that matchup. He’s used to it. He bends size to his will, using it against whoever dares to challenge him.

If the Suns had gone that route, it wouldn’t have helped Maluach’s growth. It would’ve shaken it. Instead of learning through controlled fire, he’d be tossed into a storm he wasn’t ready for. Going small and swarming from within made more sense. It played to the team’s strengths and kept the rookie’s confidence intact for another day.

What the Suns can do now is use the film they’ve built through these first few games as a teaching tool, a blueprint for their rookies to study and replicate in practice. It’s one thing to explain how a defensive rotation should work. It’s another to show it, frame by frame, where it clicked and where it broke down. Let the young guys see it, feel it, learn from it in the film room, instead of being the ones living those mistakes on the floor.

But still, I catch myself hearing the noise and nodding along. I’m trying to do what Toto says.I’m trying to hold the line. But man, it’s getting harder by the game. And it’s because of Oso Ighodaro.

We’ve said it before, and it’s still true: Ighodaro is a thinker. He plays with the kind of vision you want from any big man in the league. He sees the floor, reads the defense, and makes quick decisions that keep the offense flowing. Give him the ball at the top of the key, and you can run dribble handoffs, back cuts, all kinds of motion through him.

But one thing you can’t do is have him spot up from 18 feet and expect the defense to care. There’s no gravity there, no pull.

The more we see Jordan Ott run sets through Oso, the more it feels like we’re learning his limits in real time. It feels detrimental to the team’s success, especially when he’s playing center. The spacing collapses, the paint clogs, and what should be fluid possessions start to feel stuck in mud. It’s not for lack of effort or IQ. It’s that his game doesn’t stretch the floor, and in today’s NBA, that can grind an offense to a halt.

The numbers tell the story.

He’s started 4 of the Suns’ 8 games, averaging 17.8 minutes, 4.8 points, and 3.4 rebounds. His field goal percentage, once a clean 60.4% as a rookie, has dropped to 42.2%. Turnovers have climbed from 0.6 to 1.6. His assist-to-turnover ratio has fallen from a respectable 1.82 to 0.77. For a player whose value lives in facilitation, that’s a problem.

He is a -33 this season, second-worst on the team, only behind the -51 of Nigel Hayes-Davis. His rebounding percentage is 8.9% (for reference, Mark Williams is at 18.9% and Nick Richards is at 16.4%).

Oso Ighodaro’s regression is real:

FG% down to 42.2% (from 60.4%)
TOs up to 1.6 (from 0.6)
AST/TO ratio from .77 to 1.82

For a playmaking big, that’s trouble

-33 net rating (2nd worst on team)
8.9 reb% (72nd amoung players who’ve played 17.8+ min and 5 GP) pic.twitter.com/R1xj49EYE1

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) November 5, 2025

Per Basketball Reference, 18% of his minutes have come at power forward, 83% at center. That’s where the conundrum starts. That’s where the frustration brews. Because when you put a player built to connect the offense in a role that demands dominance, the seams start to show.

I feel like Oso is caught in the same strange basketball purgatory that swallowed Bol Bol. Not in skill set, but in spirit. That in-between space where a player doesn’t quite fit anywhere. Bol had otherworldly length, but not enough weight to matter on the block. You could bump him off his spot with a stiff breeze. So he drifted to the perimeter, but he wasn’t quick enough to survive there either. Too big to be a wing, too light to be a big. That’s basketball limbo.

Oso lives there now. He can block shots — he’s 4th on the team with 5 this season — but he doesn’t have the kind of length that terrifies anyone. He’s got the weight to bang down low, yet he still gives up ground. Pull him out to the perimeter, and guards treat him like an open buffet. You could see Steph Curry salivating last night in Golden State, licking his chops at the chance to cook him in isolation.

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And that’s before we even touch offense. His shot chart looks like a coloring book with one crayon. Everything’s clustered around that push shot, and there’s been no sign of expansion. If he had even a hint of range, you could float him as a stretch four and get away with it. But without that, paired with average rebounding, you’re left with a cerebral player who sees the game clearly but struggles to bend it to his will.

And that’s where it gets tough to keep holding the line this far into the season.

Eight games in, Jordan Ott is starting to show us his tactical fingerprints, and part of that print has way too much Oso Ighodaro for my liking. It’s his second season, and yes, he’s the project on the workbench. The lab experiment. The player the team wants to give runway to, see what sticks, see where he fits, maybe even convince themselves there’s more there than we’ve seen.

But when those minutes fall flat, it’s hard not to glance down the bench. Because sitting there are two rookies who, at least on paper, fill the very gaps Oso leaves behind.

Khaman Maluach has the length and size to protect the paint in a way Oso can’t. He can shoot the three, which opens the floor in ways Oso doesn’t. And then there’s Rasheer Fleming, who has that 7’5.25” wingspan (Oso’s wingspan? 6’11”) and athleticism with a jumper that’s always lurking. Sure, he’s been streaky — 34.9% from deep in college, 39.0% in Summer League, 30.8% in preseason — but he’s a threat. A defender has to respect him.

Oso doesn’t give you that. He’s a connector, not a creator, and that’s fine in spurts. But when the offense bogs down and the defense starts leaking, those rookies start to look a lot more tempting.

I want Oso to make it. You can tell Jordan Ott does too. He’s giving him every chance to show something, to prove he belongs. But that tingling on the back of your neck? Yeah, we’ve all felt it. The same one Haley Joel Osment felt every time Bruce Willis walked into a room. It feels like we’re watching a ghost. Like Oso is slowly playing himself off the floor instead of onto it.

What makes it worse is seeing two rookies sitting there, helmets on, ready to go, collecting DNPs while Oso struggles through another 17-minute stint. Those minutes could be carved into small developmental windows, little test drives for Khaman Maluach or Rasheer Fleming to get their feet wet. It wouldn’t take much. Split those minutes, let them learn.

But then you come back to the developmental plan. If those are high-leverage minutes — moments that could burn confidence instead of build it — maybe this slow roll makes sense. That’s the Catch-22. You either risk damaging the kids, or you keep watching Oso’s tape hoping the picture changes.

We’ve got 74 games to go, and there’s no doubt we’ll see the rookies soon enough. But right now, the Oso experiment feels like it’s producing the kind of fruit you quietly throw away when no one’s looking. He’s fundamentally sound, but the impact isn’t there. When your net rating sits at -33, it’s hard not to wonder if letting the rookies run could really make things any worse.

When you look at the top 10 overall picks in the draft last season, Maluach is easily at the bottom of the list relative to total minutes played.

• Cooper Flagg – 229 MP
• Dylan Harper – 140 MP
• VJ Edgecombe – 271 MP
• Kon Knueppel – 243 MP
• Ace Bailey – 122 MP
• Tre Johnson – 180 MP
• Jeremiah Fears – 176 MP
• Egor Demin – 119 MP
• Collin Murray-Boyles – 128 MP
• Khaman Maluach – 23 MP

I get it. Bigs take time. They grow slower, move through the game like clay that still needs shaping. And Oso is only 19. But when you need a rebound, when you need the floor stretched and the paint cleared, you’re not calling his name. Not yet.

We’ll see where it goes from here. What makes things interesting is that the G League season tips off November 8, and that changes everything. With this much youth on the roster, it’s the perfect chance to get guys live reps without throwing them into the fire every night. Maybe that means the rookies get their first real run. Maybe Oso gets a stint down in Tempe to polish the edges and rebuild confidence.

It could be that this early stretch was always meant to be a test run, a window to see what your sophomore big really has. Once the G League doors open, the options multiply. You can keep nurturing his development, give the rookies a crack at those bench minutes, and see who starts to separate from the pack.

In the end, this is the part of the season where patience and curiosity wrestle each other every night. You want to see the kids run, to see the future take shape, but you also know growth rarely happens in a straight line.

Maybe this is all part of the process, the slow burn before the spark. Maybe Oso finds his rhythm and becomes the steady hand the team hoped for. Or maybe the door creaks open for Khaman and Rasheer to take their first real steps into the fire. Either way, something’s about to give. You can feel it in the rhythm of these early games, in the long stares down the bench, in the restless hum of potential waiting to break through.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...n-ott-rotation-khaman-maluach-rasheer-fleming

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Inside the Suns: Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, offensive and defensive team ratings

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week​

Q1: After the first 7 games, Devin Booker is leading the Suns in 3-point percentage (45.7%) and is 12th in the NBA in 3-pointers made this season (21). What are your thoughts on this?​

Ashton: Still, too many turnovers. But I may be a little harsh. In this regard being that he is taking the majority of the shots while playing two positions.

This question is about Book’s three-point shooting. He needs to shoot fewer of them, not more. It has become a joke on this board that he can make seven of them. That is probably the worst prop bet in the history of prop bets.

I can use recency bias to show he went 1-5 against GSW but put up great numbers as a facilitator while not playing “Hero Book” outside the arc. There are only so many Chefs in the NBA.

OldAz: In many ways, I think we are starting to see (once again) the best version of Booker. He is being more assertive offensivel,y but also playing better than ever with his teammates. One of my main complaints in past years is that Book treats other stars like CP3 or KD like teammates, but younger players like role players that are beneath him.

Now it seems like he is choosing to trust both his teammates and the process more and drive the team’s offensive concepts. This and Jordon Ott’s offense has resulted in a surprising number of open 3s where the ball movement has resulted in Book left wide open for a rhythm catch and shoot 3. Making those helps get Book in rhythm, and we all know how he can get when his shot starts falling. I see him more this yea,r maintaining those hot streaks within the flow of the offense.

This obviously still has room to grow for him, as evidenced by the end of the recent loss, where he closed the game with 2 contested missed threes, where either one being a bucket (of any type) secures a Suns win. I am encouraged by his team play the rest of the gam,e so hopefully he will grow even more to trust the offense and work to get better shots even in crunch time in the future.

Rod: I don’t think Book can maintain that three-point percentage over the season, but I also think that part of it being so high now is that he’s getting shots off screens and set plays rather than having to create his own three-point looks. I credit Ott’s offense as much as Book for it being that high and believe that, while it should drop as the season goes on, it very well could also still stay high enough for this to be one of the best three-point shooting years of his career if everyone sticks to the plan.

Q2: Over the last 5 games (which includes 3 losses), the Suns’ defensive rating was 10th in the NBA, with an offensive rating of 19th and a net rating of 12th. Over the last 2 games, all three ratings were in the top 10. What are your thoughts on this?​

Ashton: With Inside the Suns, we are dealing with questions that encompass a timeline that encompasses multiple games. Trust me, this was much easier in the summer when we were all twiddling our thumbs.

The win over the Spurs did the unthinkable. It breathed hope into our fan expectations of what the Sun’s team could be. But it turned out to be a cool wind against GSW on what looked like a Hot Sun’s team on Sunday. Granted, GSW is a pretty damn good team. Spurs should be. And Memphis is a hot mess.

No Ja Morant please.

So Rod is going to make me look up the stats. Ugg, I hate stats. That is why I tried to get AlanS to do them for me (he declined). I will take the cheap way out and let all of you run the charts.

As of today (11/05), the Suns rank 23rd in defensive efficiency. That is not good, no matter what spin you put on it.

OldAz: You can see it coming together, and the stretches of good offense and good defense are extending for longer periods. This includes some stellar stretches of defense against Utah and San Antonio, and it is clear Ott believes in active and aggressive defense. Even in the loss to the Warriors, where their experience allowed them to counter the Suns’ defensive switches, you saw the Suns continue to work hard on the defensive end.

I think the early ratings show the potential if they keep up this emphasis and grow together around this defensive energy. I continue to caution folks, however, that growth is rarely linear and we can expect some regression and stretches of struggle. They are still a young(ish) team and will get even younger as the rookies get their chances to play. As long as the effort and energy are there, we will need to be patient and anticipate good things in the future from a team truly focused on team defense.

Rod: Yeah, it’s a small sample size, but it shows me that this team is capable of playing top-10 defense on any given night if not for the entire season. At the very least, it tells me that the players are getting comfortable with Ott’s schemes, especially those on defense. While these numbers are good to see, they obviously don’t actually prove anythin,g although it is encouraging to see them get better in recent the more games.

Hopefully they can keep improving as the season goes on and prove these early, small sample size stats aren’t just a fluke.

Q3: Dillon Brooks is leading the team in FGAs (19.3) and 3-pt attempts (10.3) per game but 12th in FG percentage (37.3%) and 7th in 3-pt percentage (29.0%). What are your thoughts on this?​

Ashton: That he actually plays?

Arizona has something called the “Lemon Law”. It is meant to protect buyers from purchasing bad motor vehicles. There is no cooling-off period, from what I read.

Right now, it seems like Houston sold the Suns a bad receipt of goods on the KD trade. Green is injured, and everybody is lying on his timeline. Brooks is injured, and it seems like everyone is lying on his timeline. Heck, KM needs minutes, and he parked in the back section of the dealership.

I would invoke the Lemon Law to describe this question. Ran great out of the lot but had to be towed back in later.

OldAz: Many are seeing the recent improvement of the team (offensively and defensively) and correlating it to Brooks being out of the lineup. Many go much further and claim there is causation here, but I think that is a mistake. I 100% chalk this up the the lack of time playing together in the early games. That first week or so, you could see the offense stagnate and everyone standing around looking at one another, not knowing what to do. Often the ball would end up in Brooks hands late in the clock, and he was stuck forcing up a shot.

Recently, the offense has flowed much better with all combinations on the floor, and I have no doubt Brooks (and Green) will fit into this just fine as they get back to playing. This is simply a product of familiarity and chemistry developing. Now, if Brooks returns and the recent ball movement starts to regress (on a consistent basis) and the ball sticks again with Brooks chucking up bad shots, then those claiming causation instead of correlation will have a lot more evidence and it will become hard to ignore. I don’t believe this will be the case, as Brooks has been a part of winning basketball before and has shown an ability to play his role well in multiple situations.

Rod: My main problem with it that he’s shot (and missed) way too many threes. Ott’s philosophy is take the shot whenever you’ve got a good look at the basket but I think other teams could possibly bait Brooks into taking threes until he starts making them at a good clip. If Brooks keeps firing them up even though he’s missing way too many, it’s certainly going to hurt the team and I think Ott would have to consider cutting some of Brooks’ minutes and/or bringing him off the bench instead of starting him.

With that said, I don’t think he was shooting so much out of ego or selfishness. In the three games he played in before his injury, the Suns fell way behind in the 1st half, and shooting – and making – threes was the quickest way to cut into that deficit. In the 1st game, he shot poorly from three, but the Suns still won. In the 2nd game, although the Suns lost, he actually made 50% of his threes (5-10), but then shot poorly from three again in the 3rd game. All in all, I think it’s still way too early to do more than maybe keep a cautious eye on his attempts and percentage once he returns.

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

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Quotes of the Week​

“I think we’ve been playing really hard. I think we just need to play a little bit smarter sometimes with a lot of our fouls and giving teams free throws.” – Devin Booker

“It’s always a good time when the ball is popping around, everybody’s sharing it. It starts on the defensive end and getting out in transition and keeping the ball moving, keeping them in close outs, and still being aggressive to get up a lot of threes too.” – Devin Booker

“When you get a guy who has done so much in his NBA career to get out there, pick up full court, that shows. He doesn’t have to talk anything. That’s leadership.” – Jordan Ott on Devin Booker

“He’s been doing a great job of just setting the table, picking and choosing his spots when it’s time to score. He’s an elite player in the NBA, man. Doesn’t get much better than that.” – Collin Gillespie on Devin Booker

“The greatest way to enhance your confidence is to prepare and he’s put the work in.” – Jordan Ott on Ryan Dunn

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Suns Trivia/History​

Players in NBA history thru their first 8 games of a season with:

30+ PPG
5+ APG
50+ FG%
40+ 3FG%

Devin Booker (this season)
Stephen Curry (twice)
Larry Bird (1984-85)
Michael Jordan (1992-93) pic.twitter.com/tJXdBs43vC

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 5, 2025

On November 7, 1992, the Suns celebrated their 30th Anniversary season by moving into the America West Arena, where they opened their season with a 111-105 win over the LA Clippers. Charles Barkley (acquired by trade after the end of the previous season) wowed the Phoenix home crowd with a near triple-double (37 points, 21 rebound,s and 8 assists) in his first regular season game as a Sun.

Devin Booker is the first Phoenix Sun to total 200+ points and 50+ assists in the first seven games of the season https://t.co/xkeLcK0mra pic.twitter.com/AS7eGloUss

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) November 3, 2025

On November 10, 1990, the Suns routed the Denver Nuggets 173-143 to tie a record held by the 1959 Boston Celtics for the most points scored in a non-overtime game (the record still stands). The Suns had 107 points in the first half, breaking the mark of 90 set by the Nuggets three days earlier in a 161-153 loss to San Antonio. Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons also picked up his 700th career coaching victory, becoming, at that time, only the seventh coach in the history of the league to reach that mark. The Suns also set a record for the most assists in a half with 33 and ended the game with 50 total assists. Cedrick Ceballos led the Suns in scoring with 32 points off the bench in just 23 minutes.

Our guys in a zombie apocalypse, who survives? pic.twitter.com/4sZHnqULyZ

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 2, 2025

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This Week’s Schedule​

Thursday, Nov 6 – Suns vs LA Clippers @ 7:00 PM (NBA TV)
Saturday, Nov 8 – Suns @ LA Clippers @ 8:30 PM (ESPN)
Monday, Nov 10 – Suns vs New Orleans @ 7:00 PM
Wednesday, Nov 12 – Suns @ Dallas @ 6:30 PM

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Important Future Dates​

Nov. 7 – NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament begins
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Feb. 5 – Trade deadline (3:00 pm ET)
Feb. 13-15 – 2026 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, CA
March 1 – Playoff eligibility waiver deadline
March 28 – NBA G League Regular Season ends
March 31 – 2026 NBA G League Playoffs begin
April 12 – Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
April 13 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
April 14-17 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
April 18 – NBA Playoffs begin

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...n-brooks-offensive-and-defensive-team-ratings

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Game Recap: Suns wake up in the second half and bury the Clippers, 115 – 102

The Phoenix Suns continue to look comfortable at home with a victory over the Clippers on Thursday night, winning 115-102 behind a second half in which they outscored Los Angeles 67-51.

It was the debut of Jalen Green that took the Clippers by surprise, forcing them to make adjustments just to find any rhythm on offense heading into the second half. Jalen was electric, scoring 29 points in 23 minutes played and setting the record for most three-pointers made in a Suns’ debut with 6.

The Suns had their hands full with Ivica Zubac, who tallied 16 points and three offensive rebounds in the first half. His size and presence in the paint were too much to handle, keeping the Clippers within striking distance heading into halftime. But he ended with 23 and 11 as he was neutralized in the final two quarters.

The Suns, who trailed 51-48 at the half, woke up and took control of the game behind Jalen Green and Devin Booker, who combined for a total of 53 points on the night. Their energy flipped the tempo, pushing Phoenix back into command with a fast-paced attack and defensive pressure that shut down the Clippers completely.

Phoenix is now 4-5 on the season and have won 3 of their last 4 games.

Game Flow​

First Half​

Making up the first nine of the Suns’ 11 points to start the game, Booker and Green looked like a dynamic duo, hitting shots from both sides of the floor and attacking the rim. In Green’s first appearance as a Sun, the crowd buzzed with excitement, while Bradley Beal’s early touches were met with a chorus of boos.

Jalen Green's first points as a Phoenix Sun pic.twitter.com/VzLtVF1y12

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 7, 2025

Without Harden and Leonard, the game remained competitive through the first six minutes, as Ivica Zubac dominated the paint and held a two-point lead over the Suns heading into the first timeout.

Leading the Clippers with 10 points to end the first quarter, Zubac continued to grab offensive boards and pound the Suns inside, specifically, Oso Ighodaro, who again found himself lost multiple times on defense. Trying to set screens and rolling into nonexistence space, Oso made a fun first quarter a little miserable.

The Suns found themselves on top of the Clippers 31-27 heading into the second quarter, behind Green’s eight points and Booker’s 11 points. Nearly a flawless quarter for both players.

Book club is in session

Already 11 PTS in this first quarter for Uno. pic.twitter.com/9B6HkwB7aJ

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 7, 2025

The Suns opened the second quarter with a rough lineup featuring Nick Richards and Oso at the five and four. A string of low-IQ plays, turnovers, and poor shot selection quickly turned a solid start into a shaky 35-33 lead within the first three minutes of the quarter.

A slow, mucky game turned into a Clippers-style slugfest, as the Suns’ stagnant offense and mounting turnovers left them searching for a hot hand.

That was Green. Coming back into the game with about four minutes left till halftime, Green cleaned up real nice and hit some high-rising threes that landed the Suns back in front with a one-point lead with a minute left in the second quarter, until the Clippers snagged the lead back 51-48 at the break.

Second Half​

Opening the second half on fire, the Suns — led by Royce O’Neale — started rattling the rims and taking back control from the Clippers. Their energy around the perimeter, finding the best shooter and the right shot, put Phoenix in a prime position to grab its biggest lead of the game at 61–55.

Exploding to the rim and taking the game into his own hands, Jalen Green helped the Suns attack the free-throw line — something they’ve struggled with this season. Going 3-for-3 from deep, Green’s eight points in the third quarter fueled a 12-point lead as the Suns began turning defense into massive offense.

Jalen Green has done more in 2 minutes than Beal did for the Suns in 2 seasons pic.twitter.com/2JST5Er4ep

— Gabe Guerrero (@GabeGuerrero03) November 7, 2025

The Suns began to pull away by the end of the third quarter. After taking some time to find their rhythm with Jalen Green in the mix, his impact became undeniable, sparking the rest of the roster to step up and help push Phoenix ahead by 20.

After committing 11 turnovers in the first half, the Suns tightened up and gave the ball away only twice in the third quarter. That shift in control provided the momentum they needed to carry an 88–74 lead into the fourth.

Grayson beat the quarter buzzer with a couple seconds to spare pic.twitter.com/WnNcWFhnXB

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 7, 2025

Fans were hyped, and the Suns were playing electric, blowing the Clippers out of the building and grabbing their fourth win of the season, 115-102.

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Up Next​

It’s these same Clippers on Saturday night, this time at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...ecap-highlights-home-victory-115-102-analysis

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Bright Side Baller: The first glimpse of Jalen Green was worth the wait

The anticipation rolling into Thursday night against the Clippers was real. Jalen Green was finally about to suit up, nine games into the season, and everyone wanted to see what it looked like. How would he fit in? How would the offense bend around him? What would it look like for Devin Booker to finally have another scorer who could take pressure off his shoulders?

The Clippers came in short-handed without Harden or Kawhi, which only added to the intrigue. It felt like we were stepping into something new, something worth watching unfold.

We’re still trying to figure out what this team actually is. They haven’t been whole yet, so every new piece gives us a clearer picture. The addition of Green pulled the curtain back a little more, and what we saw Thursday night was a team that feels alive. Fast. Aggressive. Raw in the right ways.

They played with a rhythm that made the crowd at the Mortgage Matchup Center buzz from tip-off. You could feel it. The noise swelled and rolled through the building, feeding the players, feeding the moment.

Green’s athleticism jumped off the screen, and the team fed off it like oxygen. His energy was contagious, his smile beaming like he’d been waiting his whole life for this stage. Ryan Dunn threw down dunks that rattled the floor, Grayson Allen hit corner threes that cracked the air open, and the offense started to hum. Booker didn’t need to put the team on his back and carry them.

All I have to say? Once again? That was a fun game to watch. To absorb. To experience. 4-5? I’ll take it. Because we still have yet to see this team whole. Yet we’re starting to feel complete.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings​

It wasn’t the greatest game for the Phoenix Suns against the Warriors on Tuesday night, but it was a season high for Devin Booker. And with 38 points, Booker solidified his third BSB of the year, tying him with Mark Williams for the team-high.

Bright Side Baller Nominees​

Game 9 against the Clippers. Here are your nominees.

Jalen Green
29 points (10-of-20, 6-of-13 3PT, 3-of-5 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, +30 +/-

Devin Booker
24 points (10-of-22, 3-of-7 3PT, 1-of-1 FT), 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, +11 +/-

Grayson Allen
18 points (7-of-13, 4-of-9 3PT), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, +22 +/-

Royce O’Neale
17 points (6-of-11, 5-of-10 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, +8 +/-

Mark Williams
13 points (4-of-8 FG, 5-of-6 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 steals, +18 +/-

Ryan Dunn
10 points (3-of-7, 1-of-3 3PT, 3-of-3 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, +12 +/-

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Time to cast your vote and tell us why!

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...booker-highlights-bright-side-baller-nominees

 

[Phoenix Suns]

We saw Jalen Green at his best, now the question is how often

When you’re watching a good basketball game, your heartbeat starts to climb. It’s part of the rush, part of the stress, part of why we watch in the first place. The game pulls you in, and before long, your pulse matches the pace on the floor.

On Thursday night in Phoenix, it raced right along with Jalen Green as he attacked the rim, showing flashes of everything fans hoped he could be. Next to Devin Booker, that vision finally felt real.

Then the game ends. The heart rate settles. Life goes back to normal. The next day, you think about what you saw. Jalen Green putting up 29 points, hitting 6-of-13 from deep, finishing with a +30 in only 23 minutes. It was the kind of performance that makes you believe in what could be.

Still, it’s on us to stay grounded. That’s what being a fan of this team means right now. It’s an exercise in balance, in managing expectations, in understanding growth for what it is. This season will test that patience, but it will also show us who this team can become.

So yeah, I was fired up yesterday, heart pounding through those Jalen Green highlights. I’m still feeling good today. But now comes the reset, the reminder of where we are and where this thing could actually go.

After that kind of performance, I decided to take a little trip through some Houston Rockets boards and social media threads. I wanted to see what their fans thought of it. Green spent four seasons there, 307 games in Rockets red, so their perspective means something.

Most of what I saw wasn’t surprise. It was pride. They were happy to see him shine in his debut here. Over and over, though, one theme kept popping up. It was never about whether Jalen Green had the talent. It was whether he could find consistency. That was always the challenge. That was always the opportunity.

Jalen never sucked. He was just inconsistent. He’ll have many more performances like this, but hopefully he’s more dependable. PHX can start to build something special if he is.

— GOWIE (@DaKidGowie) November 7, 2025

This isn’t surprising. He would have off the wall games with the Rockets, dude looked like an MVP on those nights, but then he’d score 6 on 2/17 shooting. Nobody ever doubted if he was elite, he just has no consistency.

— Hawthorne Hay (@HayHawthorne) November 7, 2025

Solid.. it's gonna be consistency from now on as usual for him

— ranoa (@zhaol1n) November 7, 2025

I did a little digging, combing through every game Jalen Green played in his four years with Houston. I charted his scoring totals, probably to a level no sane person should, and what I found backed up everything Rockets fans were saying. When you look at his game-by-game points, the pattern jumps out right away. It looks kind of like an EKG of your heartbeat during a Suns’ game.

The highs are electric. The lows come more often than you’d expect.

There are stretches where he’s dialed in, stretches where he fades, and the overall view is one of inconsistency. Sure, there are a million possible reasons behind that. Changing roles, playing through injuries, learning new systems. I get all that. But the numbers still tell a story. He’s scored 30 or more points 51 times in his career, but he’s also finished with 15 or fewer in 107 games. That’s 35% of the time.

I bring this up not as a critique, but as a reality check.

Jalen Green is wildly talented. He’s explosive, athletic, and he’s going to bring something this team badly needs. But there will be nights when the shot doesn’t fall. Nights when he forces an early look instead of letting the play develop. Nights when he drives into traffic instead of finding an open shooter on the wing. We saw flashes of that in his debut too.

That’s where the challenge lies. With consistency, both in scoring and in feel. How he reads the floor, how he fits within the system, how he balances aggression with patience. The hope is that the peaks start to level out the valleys.

That’s the story of potential, really. It’s never about what you can do once, it’s about what you can do again and again when the lights hit and the defense adjusts. Jalen Green showed us something Thursday night, something real and worth getting excited about. But what comes next will matter more than what came first.

If he can steady those swings, if he can turn flashes into habits, the Suns will have found the spark they’ve been chasing for years. Until then, we’ll ride the highs, brace for the lows, and keep that pulse steady. Because this might be the start of something that’s worth the wait.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...cy-analysis-highlights-vs-clippers-basketball

 

[Phoenix Suns]

The tweaks and tendencies behind the Suns’ latest win over L.A.

This November couldn’t have started much better: three wins in four games, team chemistry finally kicking in, a defense growing stronger by the day…and most importantly, a (mostly) healthy roster for this second matchup against the Clippers.

Let’s take a look at a few key plays from the game tonight at the Intuit Dome.

---

Offensive Breakdown​

The Suns keep finding creative ways to start games, like this after-dead-ball set: Booker and Green cross paths to force the switch, then Devin uses Williams’ screen to get to his sweet spot. Defender on his back, perfect rhythm. The sound of that net was just chef’s kiss.

On aime bien commencer les matchs avec des petits play sympas pic.twitter.com/Rl4rKBhLrK

— P| #WorldBFree (@PanoTheCreator) November 7, 2025

Booker finished the game 6-for-10 from midrange, but the Clippers did a solid job limiting his overall impact. His usage dropped to 27.9% and 28.8%, his only two games below 30% this season.

---

Then came a textbook transition. It starts with Booker reading the pass early. Not the toughest steal of his career, but enough to ignite the break. He pushes, slows down just a bit to read the floor, then swings it to Dunn. One extra pass to Green, who attacks and finds himself in a 2-on-1 with Williams against Zubac. Perfect read, perfect timing, easy dunk to finish it off.

Une belle contre attaque pour finir cette première mi-temps pic.twitter.com/8DgZZ5gv8j

— P| #WorldBFree (@PanoTheCreator) November 7, 2025

Simple basketball, executed with patience and trust, exactly the kind of transition game Phoenix was missing at the start of the season.

---

Next up, one of my favorite plays: the DHO (dribble hand-off). Same action again between Dunn and Gillespie. Collin moves fast, fakes out two defenders — four of five Clippers end up packed inside the paint — and he still has the clarity to find Allen wide open in the opposite corner. The skip pass? Picture perfect.

Gillespie my love — DHO + Skip pass pic.twitter.com/djGlSFqy2D

— P| #WorldBFree (@PanoTheCreator) November 7, 2025

---

And we wrap up the offensive side with some popcorn — nothing to break down, just a lob between Gillespie and Dunn to cap off their strong performances: 5 rebounds and 7 assists for Gillespie, 5 boards and 10 points for Dunn.

Du popcorn pour finir pic.twitter.com/s7ueScEOhg

— P| #WorldBFree (@PanoTheCreator) November 7, 2025

---

Defensive Breakdown​

Jalen Green’s defensive impact will go underrated, but plays like this show how much he brings. Even when he’s late or beaten, he keeps sprinting, keeps chasing, and ends up contesting the shot at the rim.

Green en traqueur pic.twitter.com/j9n07CxgRL

— P| #WorldBFree (@PanoTheCreator) November 7, 2025

He stays alert on the switch after the ghost screen, fights through traffic, recovers on the drive, and contests the layup. Honestly, what more could you ask for? The team defense as a whole was sharp too.

You can already see a clear improvement compared to the first matchup back in October — that time, the Clippers torched us for 140 points per 100 possessions and a 70% effective FG%. That was brutal, even if they were red-hot.

Last night, Phoenix held them to just 107.5 points per 100 and 50.6 eFG%. Sure, Harden and Kawhi weren’t playing, but it still raises the question: was this just opportunism, or the confirmation of a real positive trend that’s been building over the last 4-5 games?

---

Jalen’s energy is contagious, and this next clip is the proof. He never stops; stunting on the drive, recovering instantly, navigating screens, then flying out to contest the perimeter shot. That’s his whole identity in one possession: constant motion, loud impact, impossible to ignore.

L'énergie de Green Wow pic.twitter.com/LxAIUMjhOU

— P| #WorldBFree (@PanoTheCreator) November 7, 2025

---

Finally, this last defensive sequence sums up Jordan Ott’s defensive philosophy: controlled chaos. Aggressiveness, pressure, double-teams on the ball — the defense moves in perfect sync to force mistakes, and every closeout is timed just right.

Le chaos contrôlé pic.twitter.com/IO7bVeAho6

— P| #WorldBFree (@PanoTheCreator) November 7, 2025

Gillespie and Oso blitz the pick-and-roll, Booker abandons his man to rotate and protect the paint, and Goodwin — with his insane defensive volume — covers nearly a third of the floor to contest a long-range shot off a skip pass.

---

This game perfectly captures the Suns’ identity right now: creative offense, patient transitions, clean execution — paired with a defense that’s intense, coordinated, and still a bit wild around the edges.

The team is starting to generate advantages from any situation. The relentless effort from guys like Jalen Green, Ryan Dunn, and Devin Booker reflects a clear philosophy built on aggressiveness, communication, and overload principles — keys to forcing turnovers and securing the most valuable possessions.

---

Phoenix finally seems to be finding its rhythm: a solid collective, individuals stepping up, and a defense beginning to leave its mark. We’re only nine games in, but this new identity is starting to take shape. Why not seal this third matchup against the Clippers and get back to .500?

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...tch-jalen-green-devin-booker-defense-analysis

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Jalen Green leaves game with appearant hamstring injury

The Suns faced the Clippers for the second time in three nights, this time under the bright lights of Los Angeles. It was the first real chance to see the full roster in action, healthy for once. Mark Williams was fighting off an illness, Dillon Brooks was managing a core strain, but both suited up.

For nearly an entire quarter, things looked stable.

Jalen Green: Creating something out of nothing late in the shot clock pic.twitter.com/sRDqqsJZKH

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) November 9, 2025

Then Jalen Green drove hard to his right late in the first, attacking the paint before kicking the ball out to Ryan Dunn, who was wide open in the corner. The shot went up, but all eyes shifted to Green. He came up limping, the same right hamstring that had already cost him the first eight games of the season.

Jalen Green walking off the floor with an apparent reinjury of the hamstring pic.twitter.com/uoWmKQnf0a

— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) November 9, 2025

His return on Thursday had been electric, a 29-point outburst in 23 minutes that reminded everyone of his potential.

But tonight, that spark faded fast. Green grabbed at the back of his leg, pain written all over his face as the trainers rushed in. He was helped off the floor at the Intuit Dome, wincing with every step.

Time will tell how bad the injury is, and when we’ll see him again. For a player who hadn’t missed a game in over two seasons, it looks like he’s headed right back to the sideline in Phoenix. Another sad chapter, written in all-too-familiar Suns fashion.

#%#%% ,,,,,,,,,Tough sight watching Jalen Green limp off.

— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) November 9, 2025

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...lippers-full-roster-health-status-intuit-dome

 

[Phoenix Suns]

SBN Reacts: Fans think the most surprising Sun has been this maestro

The Phoenix Suns still have not played a full game yet with their full roster healthy, meaning that players have played in roles’ they may not have expected to, or had an uptick in minutes. No one has taken advantage of the Suns’ not being whole more than Collin Gillespie and as a result, Suns fans have been most surprised with him to start the year.

I’m not surprised by both Gillespie’s strong start to the season, or Suns fans voting him first by a strong margin. After helping the Suns comeback from 19-down in the fourth quarter against the Clippers late last season, he started a few contests down the stretch at point guard, and carried his strong end to last season over to the start of this one. He’s leading the team in bench scoring, averaging the second most assists and shooting 38% from three on 7 attempts a game.

Gillespie’s minutes stayed the same in Jalen Green’s first game back against the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday and in Dillon Brooks’ return on Saturday. With the point guard struggles the Valley has had since Chris Paul left town after the 2022-2023 campaign, it doesn’t shock me Suns fans are surprised to see strong production coming from the position from someone outside of Devin Booker.

Gillespie has spent time playing alongside Booker and the rest of the starters. Late in games, his floor spacing and ball handling have given the rest of the team more space and allow Booker to not have to defend the other team’s top perimeter player.

Looking at the rest of the voting, I wasn’t surprised that both Mark Williams and Royce O’Neale got the second and third most votes. Despite still being on a minutes restriction, Williams has been a strong defensive anchor for the Valley, and is looking more and more comfortable on his new team and system as the games go by.

For O’Neale, he’s averaging career highs in minutes, points and three-point percentage all at the age of 32. To start the year, he came off the bench behind Ryan Dunn, but started over him in the team’s last game and in the second half last night after Green re-injured his hamstring. His shooting has helped space the floor for Booker, which in turn, has helped Williams have more space to operate down low.

O’Neale and Grayson Allen are one of the NBA’s top duo’s in three-pointers made roughly 10% of the way through the season. Expect O’Neale to continue to start alongside Allen, if Green misses time after re-injuring his hamstring.

The Suns’ odds to reach the playoffs remain long according to FanDuel Sports Book, but with all the rotational inconsistency the Suns have had to deal with, the Valley has had some surprising players step up so far.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...the-most-surprising-sun-has-been-this-maestro

 

[Phoenix Suns]

10 games in, this team makes a lot more sense than it should

The Suns are 10 games into the season, with a 5-5 record. We have gotten to see everyone play (at least a little). Here are my biggest takeaways so far.

1. The Suns are at .500 because of Jordan Ott​

I’ll get it up front: I thought this was going to be a terrible team due to poor roster construction and money wasted on players who aren’t even on the team anymore. But…the Suns are beating expectations and looking average, and it’s due to the coach. Suns fans suffered through years of listless, disorganized, iso-ball play under Vogel, and especially under Budenholzer. Sure, the Suns started 8-2 under coach Bud, but you could already see they were coasting on the raw talents of Booker and Durant.

This year, the Suns clearly have schemes on offense and defense, and you can see the entire team buying into them, while their frenetic style of play tells me they’ve bought into the hustle and grit mindset. Sure, there are kinks (their 3-point perimeter defense leaves way too many players wide open, and you can see them botching perimeter rotations nightly), but there is also obviously strong buy-in to the system.

All that said, the Suns have been feasting on the bottom dwellers of the Western Conference (Sacramento, Clippers, Utah), but at least they’re beating the teams they should beat, and the win against the Spurs hints they can steal a few against the better ones.

2. The Suns need help at power forward​

The Suns have tried a few options at power forward, and none have really worked out.

O’Neale, Dunn, and Brooks have been serviceable, but none of them is really a power forward: you can see them struggling against bigger, taller players who can shoot and rebound over them. Nigel Hayes-Davis, Oso Ighodaro, and Rasheer Fleming have the size. However, Hayes-Davis has played poorly, Ighodaro has gotten his minutes at center (where he’s also played poorly), and Fleming has hardly played at all (more on that in a bit).

If a trade opportunity presents itself at some point this season, the Suns will likely be looking to make a move to address this.

3. The Suns back-up center issues​

Mark Williams has been the key to the Suns having a semi-respectable start, with the 2nd-best on-court/off-court metrics on the team (and arguably first, given the limited sample size of Jalen Green minutes).

With Williams out, the Suns look like a 10-win team, and they tend to look like a 10-win kind of team with him on the bench. There are three centers on the bench behind him (Ighodaro, Richards, and Maluach). The first two have been terrible, and Maluach has hardly played.

4. The rookies aren’t ready​

The Suns desperately need better play at power forward and backup center. They have two rookies who play those positions (Fleming and Maluach) who aren’t seeing any playing time. This has people asking why Coach Ott isn’t playing them.

The most likely explanation is that he isn’t seeing what he needs to see out of them in practice. Ott is described as a very cerebral coach, and if players don’t make the right reads quickly enough on offense or defense, he can’t use them in his system (which is heavy on movement, switching, schemes, etc, read and react stuff).

Maluach and Fleming came into the league with a reputation as “projects” who don’t have an instinctual feel for the game. Until they’re able to implement Ott’s game plan and schemes at both ends of the court, they’re not going to see minutes outside of garbage time (where they haven’t looked great, either). It’s too early to call any of them a bust, but their basketball IQ needs to catch up with their athletic tools for Ott to be willing to play them.

5. Booker shouldn’t be the starting point guard​

When the “Point Book” experiment is called into question, most people point to his assists, or how many assists he would have if the people around him could actually shoot, or something else.

But, the reality is that he’s 2nd in the NBA in total turnovers and turnovers per game with a 1.7:1 assist to turnover ratio. This is pretty bad for a starting point guard, where you’re looking for a 2:1 ratio to even be considered replacement level. Or, put another way, Booker’s assist-to-turnover ratio doesn’t put him in the top 150 players. For reference, Steve Nash was considered very turnover-prone, and his career A/TO ratio was 3.0:1.

It’s tough to envision a scenario where your primary ball handler, scorer, and distributor has a ratio like this while being a top team. Long term, the Suns need a better answer than point Book if they want to find a way back above being, at best, a team that wins 35 games a season.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ott experimenting with a Gillespie-Green-Booker-Brooks-Williams starting line-up at some point during this season, or even the Suns to make a trade for a point guard better than Gillespie at some point.

6. Ott found a way to use Allen and O’Neale…for now​

Coach Ott found minutes for a couple of three-point shooting specialists who don’t seem to fit the long-term plans for the team.

The Suns have too many shooting guards and small forwards, and the ageing Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale don’t really fit the youth movement. Despite the logjam at these spots, Ott has found minutes for them, and their experience and hustle have made their minutes productive. While both are playing out of position, they’re still, unfortunately, better than the alternatives. Indeed, both are averaging career highs in points.

So, congratulations to Coach Ott for bringing out the best in two players whose contracts made them impossible to move over the summer. He may have made two players who were considered to have negative value into viable trade pieces again and opened up possibilities to trade for players who better fit the system and the needs of the team later this year.

7. This team is going to be a roller-coaster​

One of the hallmarks of the Suns teams led by Chris Paul was that you knew basically what you were going to get every night: consistent offense and defense, a heavy dose of Spain Pick and Roll in the fourth quarter, and offensive production that would just grind teams into the hardwood over 48 minutes.

This current batch of players works hard but are very erratic.

Gillespie, Brooks, Geen, and Booker are all streaky players who are more than capable of making some amazingly bone-headed decisions with the ball. When the three-ball is falling (and they’re shooting it a lot), the Suns are going to compete with anyone in the league. They’re also equally likely to kill the popcorn guy in the fifth row with an errant pass.

8. Dillon Brooks needs to accept his role as a 3-and-D specialist​

Dillon Brooks has played four games this season and averaged almost as many shot attempts as Booker. He only managed a 47.5% true shooting percentage on those 16 attempts per game, which puts him in the 7th percentile among players.

In other words, his field goal percentage was terrible, but he was taking as almost as many shots as a guy who should be getting about 30 points per game. A lot of those shot attempts were wild, inadvisable, high-degree-of-difficulty heaves.

He was a big (if not the primary) reason why the Suns had a -15.5 PPG point differential in their first three games. Brooks needs to settle down and play like the number 3 or 4 guy on the team. There’s a reason why the Suns suddenly got better after he left, why O’Neale’s on-court/off-court numbers are so much better, and Brooks’ on-court/off-court numbers are almost as bad as Ighodaro’s (no, that’s not a misprint).

In other words: more Raja Bell, less Ricky Davis.

Otherwise, Brooks will be the trade chip when looking for a PG or PF, instead of O’Neale or Allen. Ot values guys who play within the system, and some of Brooks’ antics are clearly outside of it.

9. Jalen Green is what he is. He needs to learn to trust his team and not force it​

Note: I wrote most of this before Green aggravated his hamstring injury, and he looks to be out for 6 to 8 weeks.

Rockets fans and commentators who watched Green’s first game back remarked that it was classic Green: spray and pray offense, freaky athleticism, streaky shooting, some tunnel vision, and meh defense. His value to the Suns is as a second source of “gravity” on offense to give Booker a consistent outlet, and maybe to provide some additional spacing if defenses stop cheating off him.

From my vantage point, it looked like his best outside shooting was when he planted his feet and shot the three like it was in an empty gym. Shots off the dribble, pull-ups, and rising up to get it over a charging defender went all over the place, but those that were like practice went in smooth with plenty of arc and consistent form.

For Jalen Green to maximize his value with the Suns, he needs to learn that he’s surrounded by three-point shooters who can hit nearly 40%: Booker, Allen, Gillespie, O’Neale, and Brooks are all good from that range.

Green should figure out that, rather than continuing his kamikaze charges down the lane to shoot 40% on two-point shots, it’s better to dump it off to guys who hit 40% from three. Green will never be Steve Nash, but his decision-making on offense needs improvement, and will be a big part of how the Suns finish out the season.

All of this said, however, Green’s +/- numbers were fantastic in a very limited sample size, especially in the 1st quarter, where the Suns made it a habit of coming out flat. I would describe the initial results of the experiment “promising”, if not for the fact that the Suns’ number 2 guy, and main acquisition in the KD trade, appears to be taking the Kevin Johnson route out of the NBA after playing only two games.

10. There is a clear ceiling and a floor. They’re just far apart.​

The Suns are an injury or two away from being a historically bad team: if either Booker or Williams misses a lot of games, we’re going to be in for some spectacularly awful basketball. Think 2011-12 Bobcats level bad without starting caliber PGs, PFs, or Cs on the team. At that point, Ott might as well roll out the ball and watch the first- and second-year players get abused like the Washington Generals.

But Ott is not playing to lose, yet. He’s still trying to claw the best-case scenario out of the season: making the playoffs as a play-in team.

A lot of things must go right for the best case to happen: key players need to stay healthy (Green is failing at this, and Williams has an injury-riddled history), Green and Brooks need to figure out how to play within the system, and the role players must continue to buy into the system and continue making 3s at a good clip.

However, there’s a clear ceiling for the team due to Booker playing at point guard (with all the ensuing turnovers). The lack of a true starting power forward on the team (resulting in poor defensive rebounding and meh interior defense) also puts a ceiling on the team’s capabilities. But the Suns seem locked into playing Book out of position, and using three small forwards in a trench coat at power forward.

But, at least the 8th seed means that whoever ends up with the Suns’ slot in the draft, it won’t be a lottery pick.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...nce-stats-player-analysis-booker-green-brooks

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Bright Side Wonders Week 3: Devin Booker the point guard?

The Phoenix Suns’ third week of the season built off their strong momentum they ended the second week. The team’s won four of five, and while it is likely to be without Jalen Green for the foreseeable future after he re-aggravated his hamstring, Dillon Brooks is back from his groin injury. Through 10 games, the Suns are an even 5-5.

Here are the main questions for Week 3 we want your thoughts on:

Do we need to reassess how we look at Devin Booker’s play style?​

This year, Booker has played more like a traditional point guard than he ever has before. He’s looking for his teammates, running pick and rolls, and penetrating often. He’s on pace to average a career-high in assists this year and already has multiple assists and points double-doubles.

With Green likely out some time, Booker’s ball handling will continue to be high, as he’ll be running the offense without his secondary scorer. Do we need to start to look at the Devin Booker that we knew for the first 10 years of his career, the one that played more off-ball and took a more aggressive scoring approach, different than we look at the year 11 version of him?

How has the defense improved?​

A simple one, but the Valley’s defense has continued to improve. While they’re not defensive world beaters like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix has started to get stops when it matters most. In their wins this week, the team did a good job against the Los Angeles Clippers in both fourth quarters of not letting them get back into the game when their offense went flat.

Phoenix did an especially good job limiting the Clippers’ and Golden State Warriors’ star guards to poor shooting performances. Against the Suns this week, James Harden and Stephen Curry shot a combined 13-38 from the field. Phoenix had Ryan Dunn and Brooks pestering Harden all night on Saturday, getting in his face and picking him up early in possessions. What are the main reasons for the defensive improvement from the Valley?

Royce O’Neale’s uptick in role is more about him or Ryan Dunn?​

To start the season, Ryan Dunn started for the Valley at the four, and Royce O’Neale came off the bench. They both were starters when Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks went down, but when Green returned, O’Neale stayed in the starting lineup and Dunn didn’t, and then when Green was out for the second half against the Clippers, O’Neale started in his place, not Dunn.

O’Neale is having a career year, especially from three, helping space the floor for Booker and Grayson Allen; he and Allen are one of the top teammate duos in threes made this season. Dunn has built on his inconsistent rookie campaign. He’s averaging nearly six rebounds a game and almost three points per game more than he did last year, but his three-point shooting is actually down from what it was a season ago, and he shot just 31% from behind the arc last year.

Is Royce taking Dunn’s starting role saying more about his strong play to start the year or Dunn’s performance?

---

For questions to answer after every game, follow @HoldenSherman1 on X for content like this:

Devin Booker got on the ground for a play in the third quarter to go for a ball. What does tone does it set when your best player is willing to do the dirty work?

How do the Suns find stability with Jalen Green hurt again. We don't know how long he's out for. @BrightSideSun

— Holden Sherman (@HoldenSherman1) November 9, 2025

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...e-wonders-week-3-devin-booker-the-point-guard

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Game Thread: Suns (5-5) vs. Pelicans (2-7)

Game 11.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/suns-game-threads/92206/game-thread-clippers-3-5-vs-suns-4-5

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Grayson Allen’s historic night fuels another Suns win

10 three-pointers in one game. TEN.

It’s a feat that no Phoenix Sun has been able to touch until Monday, November 10th, 2025.

Rex Chapman. Quentin Richardson. Channing Frye. Aron Baynes. Landry Shamet. Cam Johnson. Grayson Allen (three times). The list of snipers who racked up nine 3’s, but fell one short of double-digits in their respective career nights. Allen did it three times (four if you count when he was sitting on 9 last night) before finally breaking through.

The Suns' franchise record for 3 pointers made in a game is 9, set by 7 different players.

Grayson Allen (4x), Channing Frye, Aron Baynes, Landry Shamet, Cam Johnson, Quentin Richardson, and Rex Chapman.

Grayson Allen has 9 through the opening 3 quarters.

— Zona (@AZSportsZone) November 11, 2025

Not only did Allen drain 10 triples, but he dropped a career-high 42 points in the process. Grayson scored 30 points from three (10-15), 8 points from the charity stripe (8-10), and 4 points from two-point field goals (2-2).

His ability to attack downhill has been a major reason for his (and the team’s) offensive success with him on the court. Allen is not one-dimensional. If you close out too hard, he can attack off the dribble and finish himself or whip it to the open man for a high-quality shot.

What a stretch by Grayson Allen. He's been incredible as a driver to begin this season

Love this guard-guard action with Gillespie to get Allen the ball to attack middle pic.twitter.com/vOLS6qU6QW

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) November 11, 2025

Along with the lights-out shooting and ability to attack off the dribble, he can also relocate after kicking it out. This is an underrated and important skill that rewards shooters if done properly. That requires teammates to look for him, and boy, have these Suns shared the ball early on this season. The ball is zipping, credit to Jordan Ott and his squad for buying in.

Allen is shooting 46-of-103 (44.7%) from deep this season in 11 games. He is leading the NBA in three pointers made while shooting it super efficiently in the process. You read that right. He leads the ENTIRE NBA in threes made.

The Duke product is averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.

The crowd gave him a thunderous applause, chanting “MVP! MVP! MVP!” They even chanted his name and gave him a standing ovation as he checked out. These are the nights every basketball player dreams of, especially if you are a role player.

His teammates showed him love on the bench, getting super into his success, continuing to confirm the good vibes we heard all about this entire offseason were not manufactured blabber. It is real. There is something developing here, and it’s fun to watch it unfold.

Even Devin Booker came away impressed, showing Allen some love on social media after the game as well as this quote below.

Devin Booker on Allen using his shooting to open up the rest of his game:

“Yeah, it’s tough to guard. You saw a glimpse of it tonight. You try to close out to him, and he can drive the next action, finish at the rim, and still make plays. Definitely not a one-dimensional player. But everything opens up with the clip that he has.”

Allen, even before last night’s game, has been a crucial piece to this offense and a steady “unsung hero,” as I mentioned in my last piece. I think the unsung part is untrue after this one. And you love to see it.

.@Amanda_Pflugrad asks Grayson Allen on the fans here: "I absolutely love Phoenix, and I love the fans here… I'll never, never, ever, ever take that for granted. I'm so grateful for all the support I get here." pic.twitter.com/pyKGamCdLL

— Cage (@ridiculouscage) November 11, 2025

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...-high-record-breaking-performance-vs-pelicans

 

[Phoenix Suns]

The Suns are stacking wins and leverage at the same time

Things feel pretty damn good in Phoenix right now. The team’s 6–5, winners of five of their last six, and playing like they actually believe in what they’re building. They’re exceeding the expectations we swore we didn’t have, the kind we buried under layers of skepticism.

What we’re seeing is the early foundation of the culture Mat Ishbia and Brian Gregory swore they’d bring to the Valley. Jordan Ott’s fingerprints are all over it, too. The rookie head coach has them organized, disciplined, and loose all at once. They look good, they play good, and the vibe around this team finally feels good again.

And how can you not feel good about it?

You’re watching career-level stuff from Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale. The latter two are both in the top five in threes made this season. Grayson just shattered the franchise record with 10 triples on his way to 42 points in a 23-point win. That’s not hot shooting, that’s a flamethrower in human form.

So yes, life feels good right now. And what’s happening might be the best possible version of the Suns’ timeline, both for today and tomorrow.

Because remember, these same two guys — Allen and O’Neale — were the ones everyone wanted to ship out over the summer. Their names were in every hypothetical trade thread, the classic “salary match” pieces meant to grease the wheels for something bigger. The irony? Those supposedly expendable contracts are turning into some of the best value deals in basketball. Teams balked at their term lengths and shrugged off their upside. Now they’re watching two of the most reliable, floor-spacing, culture-boosting wings in the league light it up in the desert.

The Suns were the ones making the calls this past summer, seeing if anyone wanted Grayson Allen or Royce O’Neale. Now? The phones might start ringing in the other direction.

Every team wants shooting. It’s basketball’s version of gold. That’s why the idea of sending Allen to a team like the Magic made sense this past summer. Orlando has all the defense in the world, but they couldn’t hit water from a boat last season. Now, with Allen and O’Neale both lighting it up from deep, their value is spiking fast.

And yeah, I get it. Nobody wants to think about trading either of these guys right now. Not when the vibes are this good. But front offices have to think in two timelines: the now and the next. The Suns don’t need to move either player. Both are locked up through 2028, both are producing, both fit. Still, what they’re doing now. They’re raising eyebrows, setting records, shooting the lights out. It is exactly what drives up value.

If you’re playing the long game, you’ve got to keep that in mind. The better they play, the higher the return if a deal ever comes. That’s how sustainable success is built.

We’ve seen this movie before in Phoenix. Usually, the organization isn’t in the driver’s seat when it comes to trades. The asset’s either too banged up, too disgruntled, or too diminished to hold real value on the open market. In the case of Allen and O’Neale, it was more about timing. Both had a defined skill set, but they also had three years left on their deals. Not many teams were lining up to take on that kind of commitment.

But as the season rolls on and the trade deadline creeps closer, those contracts start to look better. By February, any team acquiring them would only have two and a half years left, and if you’re a playoff team desperate for shooting, both Allen and O’Neale start looking a lot more appealing.

That’s what makes this stretch so ideal for the Suns. They’re winning games, they’re competitive, and they’re doing it in a way that validates the front office’s plan. Short term, the team looks strong. Long term, they’re quietly building leverage. Every made three, every gritty possession, every efficient night adds value.

Time will tell if this hot shooting holds, but if the Suns keep stacking wins with Allen and O’Neale leading the charge, it’s a win-win. The team thrives now, and the future gets a little brighter with every splash from deep.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...rade-value-rising-nba-wing-depth-team-culture

 

[Phoenix Suns]

A defining moment, an inevitable separation?

As usual at night, I was scrolling through Twitter, wandering between the countless performances of the day. And right there, among Cade Cunningham’s 31 missed shots, Victor Wembanyama’s out-of-this-world game, and Andrew Wiggins’ surprising game-winner, one tweet caught my eye:

Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale are playing themselves into a really nice trade packages for the Phoenix Suns if they decide to go that route and restock on draft capital.

It would hurt to trade them but they could be the Suns ticket out of “no man’s land”.

— Benjamin Garcia (@BenGarciaShow) November 11, 2025

Well, I’m lying a bit. I first scrolled past it without reading it fully, without really paying attention, without realizing the weight this tweet could carry for the franchise in a few months.

Then I saw it again in a fan group. This time I stopped, read it, checked the author’s account, thought for about ten seconds, and told myself, “No way, that’s not happening. They’re staying, especially after everything they’ve given here.”

Then I went full pessimist, arguing against the idea in that same group. I mean, why would you trade them? One just dropped his career-high and a franchise record, while the other might be the soul, the heartbeat of our team. They’re both glue guys. Team-first players who’ll fight no matter their role, usage, or position. For a transition phase, they’re perfect, aren’t they?

But then I took a second, longer, more rational look. And I realized that maybe, for the good of the franchise, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Royce O’Neale is that kind of player who doesn’t make noise but holds a team together. He’s a respected, do-it-all veteran wing, a reliable connector who’s played on some of the league’s most exciting and competitive teams (the Jazz of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, or the Nets with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden).

Grayson Allen, on the other hand, has learned to channel his fire and become much more than just a shooter. He got to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, but it’s really here that he’s grown, rebuilt his reputation. He can handle the ball, dribble, pass, drive, and defend across.

Both players also have very appealing contracts: around $30 million over three years for Royce O’Neale, and about $55 million over three years for Grayson Allen, with a player option in the final season. I only see two potential roadblocks: their age (both over 30) and the risk of a performance dip later in the season, which could lower their trade value.

But beyond that, they’re really good players, guys who could fit perfectly on any team with real ambitions. They still hold a lot of value, and since we need picks, assets to rebuild our bag, shouldn’t we take advantage of it?

We get attached to players like this. The quiet ones, the ones who don’t steal the spotlight but give meaning to everything around them. They don’t make the headlines, but without them, victories wouldn’t taste the same. O’Neale and Allen belong to that rare category: players of duty, connection, and cohesion.

And if that departure ever happens, we shouldn’t see it as a breakup, but as the natural continuation of a story bigger than any name. Because in the end, every team is just a passage, every player an imprint. And some, like theirs, never truly fade away.

So what about you? How do you see it?

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/suns-analysis/92468/a-defining-moment-an-inevitable-separation

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Game Recap: Suns hold off Mavs late, win 4th straight 123-114

The Phoenix Suns grab a close game victory over the Dallas Mavericks, 123-114.

After Nico Harrison was let go just a day earlier, the Suns arrived Wednesday night prepared for a Mavericks team with nothing to lose, one trying to win back its fans and salvage its season.

Following a quick 10-4 start by Dallas, the Mavericks failed to capitalize on open threes and couldn’t keep the crowd engaged. The Suns, led by Devin Booker and, you guessed it, Jordan Goodwin, combined for 29 first-half points and never looked back.

The theme of the season for Phoenix has been hustle and resilience, and they delivered again: nine forced turnovers and 14 points off those turnovers in the third quarter sealed the momentum.

The Suns struggled to find a clean shot in the fourth quarter and stumbled to find their footing. With a last-minute burst by the Mavericks, giving it all they had to bring this game to overtime. But in the end, the Suns did just enough to take the victory.

Game Flow​

First Half​

Playing to their strength with size under the basket, the Mavericks jumped out to an 18-10 lead with 14 points in the paint. Mark Williams of the Suns had his hands full with both Daniel Cooper Flagg and P.J. Washington. After giving up four offensive rebounds in the first six minutes, the Mavericks came out with energy, but the Suns maintained a steady offense led by Booker to keep the game within reach.

Flagg came out strong defensively and scored a bucket, but exited in the first quarter with a shoulder issue. He headed to the locker room, then returned with four minutes left in the period.

Coop comin' through pic.twitter.com/AXFAmAPt8r

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 13, 2025

Booker became the Suns’ offense early, cooking Max Christie possession after possession. With Williams struggling to hold his end on the boards, he still managed to contribute six points to go along with Booker’s seven.

Book bucket plus one pic.twitter.com/HM5pWxhJQ8

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 13, 2025

Fighting their way back from down 10, the Suns escaped a few open threes from the Mavericks, who shot just 3-for-14 in the first quarter despite getting good looks.

Heading into the second quarter, the Suns took the lead on a Collin Gillespie three, going up 30-28.

Jordan Goodwin led the bench with 13 points early in the second quarter. After hitting back-to-back threes to open the period, the Suns held a 36-32 lead at the 10:15 mark, though the Mavericks were slowly chipping away.

Jordan Goodwin 5-5 needs to be tested for PEDs. pic.twitter.com/uAPNThq446

— Gabe Guerrero (@GabeGuerrero03) November 13, 2025

The Suns looked like they might start to pull away after hitting four quick threes, but the Mavericks continued to push the pace, get to the rim, and answer from deep. Klay Thompson, now coming off the bench for Dallas, knocked down a few threes of his own, trying to light a fire under his team to swing the momentum.

It worked, as the Mavericks stayed close with the Suns midway through the second quarter.

Becoming scrappy on the defensive end to end the second quarter, the Suns were led by Goodwin on offense and defense, harassing Flagg and the Mavericks.

Heading into halftime with a 63-53 lead, the Suns limited the Mavericks’ second-chance points, and Booker continued his sweet stroke, leading Phoenix with 16 points.

Second Half​

Second-half recaps last season were filled with lazy plays and a team that often looked like it was giving up. This season is different. Like Wednesday against the Mavericks, the hustle never stopped, and the wide-open shots created by constant ball movement kept coming.

But it wasn’t over.

The Mavericks continued to double Booker and force other players to beat them. An energetic Flagg was responsible for several forced turnovers, creating wide-open looks for the Suns on the other end. After cutting the lead to 12, the Mavericks couldn’t get it to single digits, as Grayson Allen attacked the rim repeatedly, pushing the lead back up to 18 in a flash.

What can't Grayson Allen do? pic.twitter.com/frSb6OMS1W

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) November 13, 2025

The ten points off turnovers by the Suns carried them through the third quarter. The Mavericks did all they could to cut into the lead, but their own mistakes kept turning into easy Phoenix baskets.

Ryan Dunn found gaps in the defense to close out the quarter and take pressure off Booker. A couple of easy dunks kept the momentum firmly with the Suns heading into the final period.

Dunn is everywhere pic.twitter.com/0IQmZPGIL8

— Cage (@ridiculouscage) November 13, 2025

With every made shot, the Mavericks seemed to believe they were one run away from cutting the lead to single digits — but Grayson Allen shut the door immediately, drilling two straight threes to open the fourth and pushing the lead back to 16, forcing a quick Dallas timeout.

Once again, turnovers and self-inflicted mistakes halted any potential Mavericks run. Every time they looked ready to climb back into it, they shot themselves in the foot, and the game slipped further out of reach with seven minutes left.

In a last-minute scramble, the Mavericks cut the lead to as close as a four-point lead with around 2:30 minutes left in the game, but the Suns could not hit a shot, with the Mavericks making every play but still missing open shots and stepping out of bounds on multiple possessions.

Suns held on to take the victory over the Mavericks,123-114.

---

Up Next​

Phoenix plays again tomorrow night, this time at home against the 1-10 Pacers.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...win-allen-shine-hustle-turnovers-seal-victory

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Game Preview: The Valley threads return as Phoenix looks to keep rolling

Who: Phoenix Suns (5-5) vs. Indiana Pacers (1-10)

When: 7:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona

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

Listen: KMVP 98.7, KSUN

---

It’s the return of The Valley City Edition uniforms, that bold white font set against a pixelated sunset glow that once lit up the league. Thursday night, under the lights at home against the Indiana Pacers, it’s back. One of the most popular City Edition uniforms in the NBA, a modern relic from the season when belief and energy collided, when the Suns caught the world off guard and crashed the Finals party.

When you think of The Valley, you think of that 2020-21 team. Young, confident, overachieving, and hungry in a way you could feel through the screen. They weren’t supposed to be there, but they were. And those jerseys? They became the armor for a movement.

A thing of beauty! See ya Tonight @suns Sickos Tonight We ride on The Valley floor! #SunsUp https://t.co/xRfKrHHh0v

— Kevin Ray (@kray1voice) November 13, 2025

Fast-forward to now, and there’s a similar hum in the air.

Through 12 games, this year’s team sits at 7-5, scrappy and stubborn, exceeding expectations before anyone even decided what those expectations were. The national media doesn’t know what to make of them yet, but that’s fine. They’re annoying in the best way. They hang around. They punch back. They remind you of that 2020–21 team that wore these same threads for the first time and made people believe in something again.

So Thursday night, as the Eastern Conference champs roll into town, there’s poetry in the air. The Pacers are limping through injuries, trying to hold themselves together after falling short in last year’s Finals. The Suns have no reason to show mercy. It’s another test, another chance to prove that attitude still matters in this league.

The jerseys are back. The vibe is back. And if history has any rhythm, the spark that once set this city on fire might flicker again.

Probable Starters​

Injury Report​

Suns​

• Jalen Green — OUT (Right Hamstring Strain)
• Mark Williams — OUT (Right Knee Return from Injury Management)

Pacers​

• Johnny Furphy — OUT (Left Ankle Sprain)
• Tyrese Haliburton— OUT (Right Achilles Tendon)
• Quentin Jackson — OUT (Right Hamstring Strain)
• Bennedict Mathurin — OUT (Right Great Toe)
• Obi Toppin — OUT (Right Foot Stress Fracture)

What to Watch For​

It’s been a year from hell for the Indiana Pacers. You don’t even need to dig deep. Just look at the injury report. It reads like a casualty list from a team that made a deep Finals run. Key contributors are banged up, sidelined, or playing through pain.

For a team that thrives on pace, sitting ninth in the league in tempo, they’ve been sputtering where it counts most. Dead last in three-point shooting. Dead last in dunks. That’s right, on consecutive nights the Suns are facing another team that can’t shoot from deep and is being held together by tape and hope.

So the question tonight isn’t about who the Pacers are. It’s about how the Suns respond.

It’s the second night of a back-to-back, and those can test even the deepest teams. But this group is younger, fresher, built to handle this kind of grind in a way previous Suns squads weren’t.

How will Jordan Ott manage his rotations? Can they jump out early and control the game? Maybe we see the rookies get some meaningful minutes if things go well. And yes, Mark Williams is out. So I assume that Oso will get the start to ensure Nick Richards stays in his current rotational pattern. But if there were ever a night to see some Maluach…

Key to a Suns Win​

I come back to the battle cry from Monday night: don’t let the wounded dog bite.

The Pacers are limping through it right now in every possible way. The joy they rode to the NBA Finals a season ago has evaporated, replaced with frustration and fatigue. Injuries have gutted them, and the young guys left standing are fighting uphill with dull blades. Their depth has vanished.

So the Suns have one job tonight. Do what they did to New Orleans. Find the lineup that locks in, then crush the Pacers.

One thing this team has done well so far is hold a lead once they have it. That’s been a refreshing change. For years, it felt like every 20-point cushion could disappear in the time it takes to microwave popcorn. That’s life in the era of the three-ball. No lead feels safe, because everyone’s always one hot streak away from catching you.

But this group? They’ve learned how to step on a throat and keep it there. Apply pressure. Cut off air. Make opponents fold before the fourth quarter even starts. That’s the task again tonight. Don’t let Indiana breathe.

Prediction​

The Suns keep playing within the confines of who they are, and when they do that, they win.

Suns 122, Pacers 109

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...y-threads-preview-vs-pacers-nba-game-analysis

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Game Recap: Suns torch Pacers for fifth straight win, 133-98

The Valley court and jerseys were back in Phoenix, and boy, were they beautiful. The only thing that was equally as beautiful was the final score.

It was the second night of a back-to-back for the Suns, and they didn’t show it one bit. They led by as many as 46 points and outshot Indiana by 21% in the game. It was a beatdown nearly from wire to wire, with the Suns in complete control despite Indiana’s fast pace early on.

Devin Booker was sensational, pouring in 33 points and 7 assists in just 29 minutes on 12-22 shooting. Dillon Brooks also chipped in with a season-high 32 points of his own on 12-18 shooting. Oso Ighodaro had his best game of the season, adding 17 points and 7 rebounds with 3 blocks and 2 steals in 26 minutes. He was a team-high +52 tonight. No, that is not a typo. PLUS 52!

It was a chippy game throughout, with Dillon Brooks instigating and getting under the skin of the entire Indiana team, per usual. Unfortunately each team lost a player for a to be determined amount of time with Grayson Allen and Aaron Nesmith both exiting with injuries.

Game Flow​

First Half​

Phoenix got off to a shaky start defensively, allowing 11 points in the first 3:30, trailing the Pacers 11-8. Indiana played at their typical frantic pace.

Dillon Brooks picked Pascal Siakam as his “victim” for mind games early on in this one. He (Brooks) had 7 early points on 3-4 shooting to jumpstart the offense. And Grayson continued to do Grayson things.

Grayson maneuvering in the lane, oh my! pic.twitter.com/9tS5u8Q2NX

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 14, 2025

Dillon Brooks continued the hot shooting, pouring in 12 points in the opening 9 minutes.

Then, Things started getting spicy. He and T.J. McConnell got into it with Brooks, leading to double-technicals. A Collin Gillespie jumper made it 24-21 with 2:30 remaining in the opening quarter, followed by an Indy timeout.

Dillon Brooks 12 points.

Getting chippy between T.J. McConnell and Dillon Brooks. #Suns #Pacers pic.twitter.com/71JrioYkBQ

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 14, 2025

Phoenix held the Pacers scoreless for a ~3:20 stretch, allowing them to balloon their lead to double figures. An 11-2 run powered Phoenix to a 31-23 lead after the opening quarter.

Jordan Goodwin and Oso Ighodaro injected some chaos and energy on the defensive end and had a couple of nice offensive moments.

Ighodaro had himself quite the sequence with a steal, block, and a strong finish at the rim early on.

Oso Ighodaro's best stretch this season… by far.

Everywhere defensively. Rolling hard, and they're finding him. 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block on 3-4 shooting in 7 minutes.

— Zona (@AZSportsZone) November 14, 2025

Things continued to get chippy, with Pascal Siakam and Royce O’Neale getting into a light shoving match after a hard foul on Siakam.

Dillon Brooks continued his hot start midway through the second, propelling the Suns to a 15-point lead after a tough off-balance floater.

It is worth noting that Grayson Allen left the game in the second quarter after limping following a drive to the rim, which appeared to be him taking a knee to the thigh. He didn’t return in the half, or the game for that matter.

A quick 7-0 Pacers run cut the lead down to eight, 48-40, with just over 5:30 remaining in the half. Brooks was on an absolute heater, pouring in 24 points on 13 shots in the opening half.

No caption needed. pic.twitter.com/sOfjdfwgxF

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 14, 2025

After a chippy, scrappy opening 24 minutes, the Suns led 70-52. Brooks had 24, Booker had 17, and Allen had 12 at the half.

Second Half​

The Suns started the second half with Collin Gillespie taking Grayson Allen’s spot in the starting lineup after he exited due to a quad contusion.

Status alert: Grayson Allen (quad) won't return Thursday.

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) November 14, 2025

The Pacers fought back to cut the lead down to 11 after a scary injury to Aaron Nesmith left them even more shorthanded than they already were.

Nick Richards was active early in the period, with some standout defensive plays and drew some calls at the rim to get to the line.

RETURN TO SENDER pic.twitter.com/vlo0cqtPgr

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 14, 2025

The Pacers continued their frantic pace and did not let their foot off the gas pedal, fighting back to within 11 points after leading by as many as 20 points.

Phoenix quickly answered with a 7-0 run to push the lead back to 18 with 2:38 left in the 3rd, leading to a Pacers timeout. Devin Booker started to completely take over, going on a vintage Devin Booker heater towards the end of the 3rd quarter.

Uno.

33 PTS through three quarters pic.twitter.com/g3xMGNYFgX

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 14, 2025

Phoenix led 106-84 after three quarters of action. Booker had 33, Brooks had 26.

The Suns’ broadcast feed cut out entirely in the 4th quarter for a few minutes, so I won’t write much about what we all missed there. Apparently, Brooks scored another 5 points and Gillespie drilled a three during that stretch.

It was the Oso show to close it out, as the Suns continued their beatdown of Indiana and the benches were emptied.

OSO THROUGH ALL THE CONTACT! pic.twitter.com/loWy0ht6rC

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 14, 2025

---

The rookies got some run in the end, but it was just mostly your typical sloppy garbage time minutes. The Suns got the win again, and man, did they look connected doing it.

Up Next​

Phoenix gets a much-needed two days off before hosting the Atlanta Hawks in downtown Phoenix.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...ns-torch-pacers-for-fifth-straight-win-133-98

 

[Phoenix Suns]

The Suns’ vibes are loud right now and the challenges waiting are louder

After a thorough beatdown of a hobbled Pacers squad on Thursday night, the Phoenix Suns sit at 8-5, riding a five-game heater with six wins in their last seven. They are playing the brand of basketball we were promised, the kind that pulls you in and keeps you there, and anyone who has watched them with any regularity can confirm that this run has felt good. It carries the same energy as the Roaring Twenties, a bright era when the whole country believed happy times would last forever. People danced, spent money, smiled wide, and lived loud, and the whole thing floated on air.

Then the music cut out.

That is where my head lives. I’m not here to rain on anything. I’m not here to drag the mood into the gutter. My goal is to stay grounded. To stay realistic. The vibes might keep rolling. I hope they do. But I’m here to tap the brakes a bit and point out that the Suns are streaking and a big part of that comes from the level of competition they are seeing.

Do not mistake any of this for a lack of appreciation. This is fun. This is the good stuff. Covering this team feels enjoyable again. Watching them smack teams around, especially the teams they should dominate, scratches an itch that has been burning for two seasons. The fan base spent that time locked in a strange Civil War, everyone pointing fingers in every direction, everyone looking for the culprit behind a roster that refused to gel or compete or bury the teams they should have handled with ease.

Now the team looks locked in every night. Every quarter has intention. The natural lulls you expect in a basketball game show up, but they are short, they pass quickly, and the team snaps right back into shape. The ball is not sticking. The defense has heart. They are beating the opponents they should beat, and they are doing it on command.

And here is the part we cannot ignore. This stretch lives in the softer part of the schedule. The combined winning percentage of the Suns opponents through thirteen games is .355. Sure, the Suns contributed eight losses to that number, but the point remains that they are carving up teams that are either not good, significantly wounded, or versions of themselves that look like they misplaced their souls on the way into the arena.

The combined record of opposing teams thus far for the Suns: 54-98 (.355)

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) November 14, 2025

That isn’t meant to dim the glow around Phoenix. They are beating the teams they should beat. That tells you a lot. It shows a team with focus. A team that refuses to get comfortable on the farm, if you will.

It serves as a reminder that the road ahead stretches far, with miles of rough terrain. The Suns hold the hardest remaining strength of schedule in the league. 67 games remain. The landscape will shift plenty of times before this thing settles.

Per @tankathon, the Phoenix Suns have the toughest remaining strength of schedule, with their remaining opponents currently have a combined .531 winning percentage

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) November 14, 2025

So raise a glass behind the hidden doors of prohibition. Let the music shake the floor. Let your hips swing with the Charleston. Feel the moment. Enjoy it with the same wild energy the era invites. But keep in mind that the market can crash. The real evaluation begins when the opponents tighten up and the easy paths turn into mountain climbs. How this team responds in that environment will define the way we talk about them later.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...run-opponent-quality-trends-basketball-review

 

[Phoenix Suns]

Phoenix is starting to make high-level basketball look effortless

If you’d told me back in October that we’d string together five straight wins, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’m not usually the pessimistic type, but honestly, this Suns team is surprising me in every possible way: offensively, defensively, in the energy, the cohesion. Even in the way they’re making games look easy. It’s genuinely enjoyable to watch.

---

An Offensive Machine with Defensive Backbone​

Collectively over this five-game stretch, the Suns are putting up the 3rd-best offense in the league with 127.1 points per 100 possessions. They also have the 4th-best defense during that span (107.5 points allowed per 100 possessions).

In terms of efficiency and cleanliness, Phoenix clearly climbed into the league’s top 8: 59% eFG%, 41.2% from three, nearly 50% on mid-range shots, and only 14.1% turnover rate.

Nothing like the early-season version of this team, when we were sitting at 54.3% eFG%, 42.2% from mid-range, 37.6% from three and 16.5% turnovers; numbers that consistently placed us in the bottom half of the league.

---

Individual Sparks Fueling a Collective Rise​

Of course, some individual standouts are driving this run.

Grayson Allen has been incredibly consistent over his last four outings (excluding the game where he got hurt against Indiana). He’s averaging 24.3 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals with surgical precision: 54.2% from the field, 55% from three, and a +14.8 differential in 32 minutes. His volume stays controlled, but his impact is huge, both as a scorer and as a constant pressure point on defenses. And with that 42-point explosion against the Pelicans, all we can do now is hope for a smooth recovery.

Dillon Brooks, on his end, is on a strong stretch as well. Over his last four games, he’s putting up 21.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals, with great offensive efficiency: 51.9% from the field, 40% from deep, and 92% from the line. In 28.1 minutes, he’s mixing aggression, discipline, and efficiency — without forcing the issue the way he did early in the season — which only boosts his value even more.

Defensively, we know everything comes from the collective effort. But some guys still deserve extra credit, and Jordan Goodwin is one of them. Once again last night, his energy, his commitment, and his defensive talent lifted the team. The fanbase feels it too. He’s slowly carving out a real place in our hearts.

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Sure, we’re benefiting from a favorable schedule. Kawhi sitting out two games, the Pelicans and Pacers going into tank mode, and the Mavs without Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. But it’s not like the Suns are just coasting. They’re making games easy, with nearly a 20-point differential over the streak.

This run doesn’t guarantee anything long-term, but it does confirm something essential: the team has found a foundation. Between the offensive efficiency, the defensive focus, and the emergence of key contributors, the Suns are starting to look like a group that actually knows where it’s going and how to get there. The schedule will get tougher, adjustments will come, and injuries will clear up.

For now, the group is building, progressin,g and setting a level of discipline we hadn’t seen in a while. This stretch may only be a fragment of the season, but it tells us something important: Phoenix is learning how to win with seriousness.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...n-allen-dillon-brooks-jordan-goodwin-analysis

 

[Phoenix Suns]

The Goodwin decision is aging well as his energy keeps reshaping games

In a season that surprised everyone from the jump, you expect an unsung hero or two to stumble into the spotlight. Someone you didn’t peg as a difference maker. Someone who wakes up one morning and decides to play to the ceiling nobody bothered to check for. And yes, the Suns sit at 26% of their projected win total of 31, with only 16% of the schedule played. Things feel good. A reminder still lingers that this run has come against lighter competition.

That doesn’t erase the surprises along the road. One of the brightest sparks so far is Jordan Goodwin.

Sheesh, this Jordan Goodwin pass … pic.twitter.com/KfALw1xF0m

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) November 14, 2025

Think back to training camp. Think back to preseason. There was a real battle between Goodwin and Jared Butler. You remember Butler. You have to. The guy who dropped 35 in the final preseason game, then watched the organization keep Goodwin instead.

Through 13 games, it looks like the front office hit the right button. Goodwin is giving them strong minutes off the bench, minutes that line up perfectly with the attitude this team wants to carry into every possession.

“Whether he’s on the court or not, he makes an impact,” head coach Jordan Ott said of Jordan following the game last night. “I think his enthusiasm and his ability to connect our group…he’s like a lifelong Sun. He just exists to be here. Since day one, he’s just brought a passion and ability to connect to all different people in our locker room. When he gets on the floor, he plays the same way.”

Jalen Green going down with a hamstring strain was tough. The kid has upside and opportunity, and both got shoved into a holding pattern. Four to six weeks until he is reevaluated means he probably returns in January. That kind of absence cracks the door open for others. All they have to do is walk through it.

Goodwin has stepped through with confidence. He’s played 16.2 minutes a night over 10 games, averaging 5.9 points and shooting 38.7% from deep. He posts 2.0 assists and 1.1 turnovers. The numbers are fine, but the electricity is where he cashes his checks. He hits timely shots. He injects rhythm back into possessions that are starting to sag.

Jordan Goodwin: Creating extra possessions

Collin Gillespie: Making teams pay pic.twitter.com/UDKcRtgsH2

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) November 14, 2025

Think back to that Dallas game. The offense felt like it was dragging a cinder block, even with Devin Booker out there trying to ignite something. Then Jordan Goodwin checked in late in the first quarter and the entire vibe twisted. The Suns were down 10 points. A few breaths later, they were up two. A 12-0 run to close the quarter, all sparked by Goodwin turning into a live wire.

He went 3-of-3 for 7 points to end the first, then strolled into the second quarter and drilled a pair of threes. 13 points in 13 minutes, all in the first half. 5-of-8 from the field. 3-of-4 from deep. He set the tone. The rest of the roster fed off it.

That is the role he has carved out this season. A jump starter off the bench. Every team in the league needs a guy who shows up with fire in his bloodstream. Someone who treats the game like a spark plug, ready to jolt the system awake at any moment. He brings emotion, pressure, and a whole lot of chaos for the opposition. He forces their hand.

Goodwin leads the team with 2.7 steals per 36 minutes, averaging 1.2 steals a night in limited minutes. He holds an +11.3 net rating, second on the team among players with ten games or more, sitting right behind Mark Williams.

His presence reinforces the idea that the Suns made the right call when they picked him over Butler. The organization trusted what they saw behind closed doors. The chemistry. The way he blended with teammates. The high motor. The stubborn will. All of that weighed more than a scoring explosion in a preseason game with no stakes attached.

Goodwin remains who he has always been. A dog in the best sense. A player who bites into the moment and refuses to let go.

Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/...d-impact-steals-efficiency-rotation-breakdown