Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap Phoenix’s 108-100 victory over the Nuggets.

We touched on Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, and the current point guard situation for them. Should Point Book just continue to blossom with Canaan and Ulis primarily off-ball?

Since Booker returned to the lineup, he has five instances of 30-5-5 games already. That leads the NBA, with Russell Westbrook right behind him with four.

also, we quickly previewed the upcoming contest against Milwaukee. Without Giannis Antetokounmpo once again, can the Suns steal another one on the road?

Listen in, and make sure to subscribe!

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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon discuss ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski’s report of Kemba Walker being officially placed on the trade block. With the Hornets looking to shed cap space while pressing the full-scale rebuild button, Walker plans to be their main piece in whoever helps reshuffle their roster.

For the first 25 minutes, we brought up a lot of angles from a Phoenix perspective. Outside of the Knicks, Pacers, and Clippers, we believe Phoenix is definitely in the running for Walker if they so desire.

First, what would the Suns have to give up? We discussed what value we believe Walker has league-wide, as well as what could intrigue Charlotte. Also, we brought up the inevitable question: Marquese Chriss or Dragan Bender? Who would you rather keep if one has to be shipped away sometime soon?

General manager Ryan McDonough will have a tough decision to make. Keep with the plan of possibly acquiring another top-five pick or trade for Walker and bring Booker some immediate help?

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On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' 120-97 loss to the Pacers on Bright Side Night.

By the way, thanks to everyone donating. We sent 2,100 underprivileged children to their first NBA game, so that's awesome!

We gave our takeaways from Sunday's matchup (hello, Josh Jackson!), but also spent the last 30 or so minutes of the podcast discussing our chat with Vice President of Basketball Operations James Jones.

He was surprisingly open about a lot of current situations, so we gave our thoughts on that. Jones touched on the draft, Booker at PG, future team building ideas, and plenty more.

Also, we looked ahead for the Suns as they begin a tough stretch up until the end of January. How will it go for the league's youngest rotation?

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On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' 17-point loss to Houston on Friday. For the second consecutive time, the Suns have been blown out by the Rockets on national television.

We discussed the point guard situation for the Suns. With Isaiah Canaan returning Sunday, how should Jay Triano divvy out the minutes? Will Point Book be expanded upon with less Tyler Ulis? There are some ideas we thought of.

Also, we looked at the overall construction of Houston. The Suns not only are one step away, but multiple, including developmental jumps from Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, and Josh Jackson as Brendon pointed out.

Finally, we looked at the monstrous performances from Trae Young, Marvin Bagley III, and Deandre Ayton on Saturday. (Hint: This draft class is turning out to be rather important for the Suns' future.) In the end, we played a hypothetical scenario, too. If Luka Doncic and Ayton are the first two off the board and Phoenix lands at No. 3, who do they select? Young? Bagley? Bamba?

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On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon discuss more prospects. This time, we look more towards possible names who could be selected, if they end up keeping Miami's first-round pick.

The best fits for Devin Booker could be a secondary ball handler with defensive acumen. We talked about all of the following names in this category: Trevon Duval, Troy Brown, Bruce Brown, Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Shake Milton, Landry Shamet, Jevon Carter, Rawle Alkins, and De'Anthony Melton.

This led to a discussion about the red-hot Heat squad, winners of six straight. If the Heat continues to win, should the Suns deal it for a win-now piece? Also, is the 2021 Miami pick Phoenix's "Golden Goose" asset at the moment?

Going back into some prospects, we ended it with two wings who could be possible fits in the 8-12 range: Mikal Bridges and Kevin Knox. If Phoenix continues towards a positionless movement, which sees Devin Booker as the primary ball handler, either one of these names makes sense.

Also, in the beginning, we went over the Suns' injury news revolving around Marquese Chriss (hip flexor) and Josh Jackson (strained hip) for Friday's tilt with Houston on ESPN.

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On this episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the last 20 games in our second of four stock reports.

We analyzed all of the following players, including Jay Triano: Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss. 

On all of them, we took in-depth analytical dives while looking at their latest trends over certain portions of this stretch. Booker was only apart of 10/19 games with an adductor injury.

So, how did the grades end up?

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On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' best win of the season, 114-100, over Oklahoma City. In the process, we saw #TheTimeline blossom with career-best performances from Josh Jackson and Dragan Bender.

We dived into both of their performances, alongside Devin Booker, TJ Warren, Tyler Ulis, and the short time Marquese Chriss was out there as well.

Speaking of Bender and Jackson, could these two as plus-passers for their positions really open it up for Booker in the season's second half if it continues to gel? Seemingly Jackson, Chriss, and Bender are all putting it together simultaneously, which is a great sign for the future.

We also debated how important the summer of 2018 is for Phoenix. If the Suns finish with 30-33 wins, do they become more attractive to the top tier of the free agent class? Both of us agreed, though, that trading up in the draft could be in the cards with how general manager Ryan McDonough has laid out his assets moving forward.

How does the Locked On Suns crew see the season's second half going for the Suns now after this past week? Will it sustain?

What do you think, listeners?

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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ 103-89 loss in San Antonio. Without T.J. Warren (illness), Phoenix relied upon Devin Booker to carry even more of a heavier workload, which included backup point guard duties with Isaiah Canaan also out.

From the Spurs matchup, we touched on Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, Tyler Ulis and Booker’s performances.

Also, we discussed Kevin O’Connor’s great article on Booker over at The Ringer. Diving deeper into his points, is building the roster around the 21-year-old much like Houston did with James Harden the way to go?

One interesting stat to follow, Booker now is third (fourth if you still somehow consider Harden an SG) in games where he dishes out 5 or more assists. He has done so 16 times in 31 contests, which puts him on a playmaking-type trajectory many never expected this early. Only DeMar DeRozan (21) and Jimmy Butler (19) have done it more, albeit in more opportunities.

This is a must-listen if you want our last thoughts on #TheTimeline before our halfway stock reports, which take place this weekend.

What’s your grades for the young Suns core parts at the halfway mark, and would you go the Harden path with Booker if you are general manager Ryan McDonough?

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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan is joined by special guest, Bright Side’s managing editor and overlord, Dave King!

This was a fun one, as we recapped the loss in Denver but then we also explored a multitude of topics.When will Greg Monroe be off the roster?Did we expect this jump from Devin Booker in Year 3?If Dave was in general manager Ryan McDonough’s shoes, what would he do to get Booker some help?Has Marquese Chriss finally turned the corner after a career-best 5-game stretch?How important is the 2018 draft class to this core’s future? Would you rather see them win 30 games with Booker or fall off to get a top 3 pick? (Dave brought up how Booker and Deandre Ayton could be a new age Kobe-Shaq and now it’s stuck in my head.)Expectations for the season’s second half with Phoenix

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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ 104-103 win Tuesday night over the Atlanta Hawks. 

And what a win it turned out to be. 

After being down 12 after a lethargic performance the first 42 minutes, Phoenix flipped the switch led by Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, and Marquese Chriss yet again.

We discussed Booker’s ascension even more and discussed how he will be kept out of the All-Star game (he can’t if this keeps up, right?). Since his return, he’s averaging 31-4-5 with elite efficiency.

Also, we touched on the Denver game tonight. Will Josh Jackson get some burn after Booker and Warren played heavy minutes? Jackson was a DNP-CD for the first time.

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