Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

After a rollercoaster first half of the season, where do the Phoenix Suns stand in the Western Conference playoff race? Memphis currently holds the No. 8 seed, but teams like the Suns, Spurs, and Pelicans are rolling lately.

How will Zion Williamson impact the race for No. 8? With his return this week, New Orleans now is a formidable threat to leapfrog Phoenix.

Are the Suns better than the Grizzlies and Spurs? We tried to answer that question, with each team likely battling for positioning throughout the season. Finally, who is receiving stock up and stock down in our latest playoff check-up?

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Thanks to Bryn Forbes going unconscious from behind the arc for San Antonio, Phoenix was on the losing end Monday night at Talking Stick Resort Arena, 120-118.

Devin Booker was the Suns’ biggest star of the game, notching another 30-plus point performance. This time, Phoenix’s $158 million man finished with 37 points on high efficiency. Deandre Ayton also continued his aggressive play, notching his fourth consecutive game with 20 or more points.

As usual, we run through our biggest takeaways and notes right after visiting with the Suns players in the locker room. Who makes our Free Throws, Flagrant Fouls, and Stat to Watch tonight?

Follow on Twitter: @LockedOnPHXSuns, @esidery, @BrendonKleen

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What a win for the Suns on Saturday night in Boston, thanks to huge performances from their young core. Devin Booker led the way with 39 points, but we saw Mikal Bridges finally break out, dropping 26 points and six triples. Deandre Ayton also had his second straight dominant outing, with 26 points of his own plus 15 rebounds.

For some reason, Phoenix just seems to love playing in Boston. Or maybe that’s more so Booker himself, but they’ll take it for sure.

As usual, we run through our biggest positives (Free Throws) and negatives (Flagrant Fouls) spectrum before closing with stats to watch.

Follow on Twitter: @LockedOnPHXSuns, @esidery, @BrendonKleen14

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The Phoenix Suns finally put it all together on both ends of the court after a long stretch of inconsistency. During Thursday’s 121-98 win over the New York Knicks, Phoenix was led by it’s expected triumvirate of Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Ricky Rubio. Booker led the way with 29 points, while Rubio flirted with a triple-double.

However, the big story of this one revolves around the Suns’ former No. 1 overall pick. This was Ayton's first career 20-20 game, as he put up 26 points and 21 rebounds at Madison Square Garden. Ayton and Rubio’s chemistry seems to be picking back up where it left off in October.

Will the Suns use this blowout victory to lead them through a gut-check stretch of opponents to finish off January?

Follow on Twitter: @LockedOnPHXSuns, @esidery, @BrendonKleen14

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At the halfway point of the 2019-20 season, the Phoenix Suns are 16-24. That shouldn’t be surprising based on preseason expectations, but how they reached that mark has certainly been like a rollercoaster.

At this point, are the Suns contenders or pretenders for the No. 8 seed race?

Devin Booker has taken another step forward in Year 5, but what about everyone else? Kelly Oubre Jr. and Deandre Ayton are solid pieces, but Phoenix needs to invest in another self-creator sometime soon.

We close by going over the dynamic between James Jones and Monty Williams, including grades just less than a year into their partnership.

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As the Phoenix Suns’ 2019-20 season continues to be a rollercoaster, Tuesday night in Atlanta was the latest free fall on the ride. Losing by 13 points on the road to a team with fewer than 10 wins is simply inexcusable, especially during a stretch of games where ground needs to be made up in the playoff race.

Devin Booker's 39 points, plus Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton providing solid performances, Phoenix was dormant on the offensive end. Meanwhile, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter were lights out for the Hawks, and a poor performance from Kelly Oubre Jr. made it hard for the Suns to keep pace.

We run through our usual Free Throws, Flagrant Fouls, and Stats to Watch as the Suns blew yet another opportunity right in front of them.

Follow on Twitter: @LockedOnPHXSuns, @esidery, @BrendonKleen14

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We explore how Deandre Ayton has done in the first seven games since his return from a suspension then ankle sprain. Currently coming off the bench, Ayton is close to an increased role soon. What should our expectations for him over the final half of the season?

Kelly Oubre Jr. has been playing the best basketball of his career over the last few weeks as a consistent 20-point scorer and consistent defender. Can Oubre take another leap in his game soon enough to make him an even more formidable two-way wing?

Finally, we run through the playoff race as the Suns are in a tight battle alongside Memphis, San Antonio, Portland, and others. These next seven games will be very important in seeing if this squad is truly playoff-caliber or not.

Follow on Twitter: @LockedOnPHXSuns, @esidery, @BrendonKleen14

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Even though the Suns are 16-23, they are still right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. Only 1.5 games behind Memphis at this moment, victories over the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets this weekend went a long way toward the Suns staying afloat during an adjustment period.

Kelly Oubre Jr. continues to look like he’s taking a leap, providing consistent two-way production. Deandre Ayton is still finding his sea legs, but this weekend was a good sign of what’s to come for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Although Devin Booker didn’t have the best weekend scoring the basketball, Phoenix still won both outings. Booker’s slump couldn’t have come at a more perfect time with Oubre and Ayton helping pick up the slack.

Finally, the Suns’ second unit continues to be a major issue. And it could lead to big offseason changes in that area, if it doesn’t improve internally.

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This week, we had the chance to speak to Suns GM James Jones again in an exclusive setting at Bright Side Night 2020.

Jones spoke for around 30 minutes on a multitude of topics, delving into his expectations this year, the makeup of the roster, and Deandre Ayton’s progress this season.

It sounds like Jones and Co. were caught off guard by the early 7-4 start, and we might not hear any trade chatter until right before the deadline. Also, what’s up with Deandre Ayton not shooting three-pointers? Jones, along with head coach Monty Williams, both mentioned this situation is on Ayton’s shoulders.

We break all of Jones’ comments down.

Follow on Twitter: @LockedOnPHXSuns, @esidery, @BrendonKleen14

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Jackson Frank of The Athletic and DIME Magazine joins to give his initial thoughts on the 2020 NBA Draft, which is weak overall but stacked with players at the Suns’ positions of need.

That leads to flipping through the top play-makers in the class, including Nico Mannion, Cole Anthony and Tyrese Haliburton. Considering the Suns’ need for a point guard of the future, we discuss who fits best next to Devin Booker in Monty Williams’ system.

We close by breaking down some of the top forward prospects in the class, as it becomes increasingly clear the Suns don’t view Dario Saric as the long-term answer there. So we look at hyped players such as Precious Achiuwa and Jaden McDaniels as well as players like Obi Toppin and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, whom the Suns might value more.

Follow on Twitter: @LockedOnPHXSuns, @jackfrank_jjf, @esidery, @BrendonKleen14

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