Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' 20th loss in their last 22 as they fell this time to Charlotte, 122-115.

We discussed our main takeaways from Saturday's defeat, which saw Phoenix shorthanded as Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, and T.J. Warren were all held out with injuries.

Not only did Shaquille Harrison continue to break down the door of opportunity with a career-best outing, but Davon Reed and Tyler Ulis (a double-double after DNP's for a month) also shined on this afternoon.

From a negative standpoint, Elfrid Payton had his third consecutive subpar outing. In his 10 starts with Phoenix, he has a total plus-minus of -152. The second-worst Sun after Payton is Jackson at -96. That is a -52 difference! 

What does this say about Payton and his future in Phoenix as he continues to slump this past week?

Also, the co-hosts chatted about Dragan Bender, who came alive in the second half from beyond the arc. However, we ask the question about how unique of a situation this is with a top-five pick. Bender is slow developing, specifically as a driver to the rim, but is this going too slow?

Finally, we talked about one main prospect this week: Collin Sexton of Alabama.

As he continues to shine in March, Sexton's name will likely be one that rises in the general public's eye up until the draft. We weighed on his overall ceiling plus his fit alongside Booker in Phoenix.

Is he a possible trade-up candidate? How does he compare to other point guards like Shai Gilegous-Alexander and De'Anthony Melton?

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On today’s episode, we quickly recapped an ugly loss to the Thunder, in which Devin Booker again scored 30 points but the Suns fell, 115-87.

T.J. Warren missed the game due to injury and Josh Jackson left at halftime after a 1-8 start, meaning the entire scoring burden fell on Booker. He was shockingly efficient in spite of all that, but no one was able to support him, and the Oklahoma City armada over-powered the Suns’ defense. 

After that, we looked at how the tank race has changed since we last recorded. The Suns sit half a game behind Memphis for the No. 1 lottery spot. 

Finally, we each gave two draft sleepers to consider based on the Suns’ interest in the depth of this year’s class.

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On today’s episode, we quickly recapped an ugly loss to the Thunder, in which Devin Booker again scored 30 points but the Suns fell, 115-87.

T.J. Warren missed the game due to injury and Josh Jackson left at halftime after a 1-8 start, meaning the entire scoring burden fell on Booker. He was shockingly efficient in spite of all that, but no one was able to support him, and the Oklahoma City armada over-powered the Suns’ defense.

After that, we looked at how the tank race has changed since we last recorded. The Suns sit half a game behind Memphis for the No. 1 lottery spot.

Finally, we each gave two draft sleepers to consider based on the Suns’ interest in the depth of this year’s class.

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On today’s episode, we dove deep on the key players in #TheTimeline, stock report style, as we have throughout the season. 

The last quarter encompasses 24 games, in which the Suns went 3-21. However, many of the young players made legitimate progress despite not winning many games at all. 

Devin Booker has turned into one of the more consistent and efficient scorers in the NBA during his age-21 season.

Elfrid Payton has changed the rhythm of this team completely since joining at the trade deadline. Since his arrival, the Suns’ pace is nearly three possessions higher per game. 

Josh Jackson slowed way down in January and February, and he has become an effective two-way player thanks to a ton of in-season improvement.

T.J. Warren returned to his inconsistent ways, thanks in some part to injury and a change of role. How do we feel about his extension going forward?

Dragan Bender is on his way to becoming an elite two-way role player. Is that a ceiling we can accept for the former No. 4 overall pick?

Finally, we looked at the coaching situation heading into the offseason. With March Madness coming up and Luka Doncic lingering at the top of the draft, where should the Suns’ coach come from?

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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ 125-103 loss in Miami. After coming up short in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, this result was to be expected against a stronger opponent. We examined our main takeaways from this outcome.

Devin Booker once again put together another 30+ point outing, which is his 21st such occurrence in 51 total games. He’s the only player in the league right now who scores 30 greater than 40% of the time he steps foot on the court.

This game was a prime example of Booker showing up yet his teammates failing to produce alongside him, which has been the case in many Suns blowout losses.

Not only did the co-hosts discuss Booker, but also the performances of T.J. Warren, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, and many more.

After recapping Phoenix’s 18th loss in their last 20 games, we quickly looked at the reverse standings. If the Suns ended up with Deandre Ayton, does his severe lack of rim protection instincts deter them at all near the top?

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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap Phoenix’s 113-112 loss on the road to the Atlanta Hawks. Taurean Prince hit a game-winning three with seconds on the clock, and Devin Booker wasn’t able to answer on the next possession at the buzzer.

Even though Booker had a cold first half that saw him with more turnovers than points, he settled down to help propel the Suns’ offense late when needed most. He finished with 20 points while his running mate, T.J. Warren was scorching.

Warren scored 35 or more for the third time this season as he ended up reaching that threshold alongside 4 rebounds. He was efficient and is creating a nice on-court chemistry with Elfrid Payton.

Speaking of Payton, he recorded his second triple-double in only his ninth start as a member of the Suns. That also includes five double-doubles over that timeframe. The former Orlando Magic guard continues to impress in Phoenix, so will this have an impact on general manager Ryan McDonough decision if this continues?

We discussed that, plus much more (hello, Marquese Chriss!) in a losing effort that could turn into a long-term win if they vault up to a top pick come May 15.

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On today’s episode, we recapped the Suns’ home loss to the Thunder, 124-116. What can we take from the team’s recent competitiveness?

The ongoing debate between Josh Jackson and TJ Warren reared its head again last night as Jackson was, surprisingly, the more efficient scorer and clearly the more impactful defender. Are we going to see a change in role soon for either of these two?

The backcourt of Devin Booker and Elfrid Payton continues to play well and the two are building chemistry on the court. We discussed how our feelings about Payton as a long-term piece have changed (or not changed).

Finally, a recap of the projected first-round draft order. The Suns could have three picks in the top 16 this summer — does their play over the last two weeks alter the perspective on how they should use those assets?

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On today’s episode, we discuss the Suns’ 110-102 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, in which Devin Booker posted his third straight 30-point performance and Josh Jackson notched his career-high with 29 of his own.

What has made Jackson so much more effective lately? Is there more truth than we think about the idea of a player learning and adjusting to the NBA game during his rookie season? 

Then, a quick run through some of the other players who helped lead the team to its first February victory last night: Dragan Bender’s defense on Marc Gasol, and Shaquille Harrison’s energetic 18 minutes.

Finally, what does the team’s success without T.J. Warren and Tyler Ulis mean going forward? Is it time to move Warren to the bench? Will Ulis stay in Phoenix next season if a G-League player on a 10-day contract can steal his minutes so quickly?

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On today’s episode, we ran through the quote that Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic tweeted, in which Marquese Chriss went into detail about his mentality before the All-Star break. We discussed what it might mean for Chriss going forward and what he can do to get right.

We also went back and forth on a couple mid-to-late first-round sleepers in the 2018 draft, including SMU guard Shake Milton and Ohio State forward Keita Bates-Diop. The Suns are in a good position to add an instant contributor with one of their picks from 15-40.

Finally, we gave our thoughts on the Grizzlies-Suns matchup a few hours before tip-off. Each team is trying to snap a gross 10-game losing streak.

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What a game Monday, right? Two former Kentucky Wildcats — Devin Booker and Anthony Davis — put on a show in New Orleans as the Pelicans handed the Suns their 10th straight loss 125-116.

Booker nearly posted his first career triple-double in historic fashion as he tallied 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 50% from the field. However, Davis trumped him with an even more dominant performance. The Brow collected a stat line of 53 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Maybe the most impressive thing Davis did last night was foul out three Suns players in the process. Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, and Alex Len all played 25 minutes or less due to Davis’ dominance.

Outside of the Booker-Davis duel, I also touched on how the rest of the roster looked but more specifically Elfrid Payton, T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, and Bender.

With Brendon not available, I actually ran this episode solo so he threw in his two cents throughout.

I had to ask the question about Davis, though. How would he look next to Booker in Phoenix? Would you trade the No. 1 pick for him if Davis ever asked out this summer? As I mentioned in today's episode, I totally would. I have a hard time seeing how that duo fails if they are together for 7-10 years.

In the end, I quickly discussed a sleeper prospect to watch out for with the Miami pick and that’s Creighton guard Khyri Thomas. On my big board, which will be updated and released later this week, sits right outside the lottery at No. 15.

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