Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

On today’s episode, we talk to Arizona Republic columnist about everything behind the scenes for the 2018-19 Phoenix Suns season.

Topics discussed:Taking stock of Ryan McDonough’s tenure nearing the halfway point of his contract extensionWhat James Jones brings to the Suns’ organization behind the scenesWhy winning will change how Devin Booker’s critics view his careerWhether Josh Jackson can be the third core piece for this teamWhat James Jones told Greg that led him to believe Deandre Ayton was the right pick at No. 1 overallWhy Igor Kokoskov’s passion for basketball and leadership make him such a great candidate to own the team and help the Suns improve

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On today’s episode, we break down the Suns’ frontcourt depth chart, from Deandre Ayton down to Tyson Chandler.

With fourth-year option decisions looming, the competition between Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender for a future with the Suns is the primary storyline for this group.

Aside from that, newcomer Richaun Holmes represents an interesting developmental project for the Suns. Could playing under Igor Kokoskov help him?

Finally, Tyson Chandler looks like one of the surest buyout candidates in the league heading into what could be his final NBA season.

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On today’s episode, we break down the wing position on the Suns’ roster, which features three new additions and two guys with a lot riding on the 2018-19 season.

Mikal Bridges could be one of the most impressive rookies in this class if all breaks right for him this year, but he has three guys ahead of him in his fight for playing time.

Trevor Ariza is the newest addition to this team, but will face a different set of challenges playing with this young roster compared with his last few seasons in Houston.

Finally, T.J. Warren and Josh Jackson need to figure out how to stay on the court together and expand their offensive packages if they want to be a part of this team moving forward.

(We also talked about George King a little.)

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On today’s episode, we begin our Positional Preview series, beginning with the guard rotation.

What can we expect from Elie Okobo as a rookie backing up Brandon Knight? Could his quick development eliminate the Suns’ desire to trade for a star point guard?

How do the Suns handle the backup two-guard slot? Will it be a matter of the young wings on their roster sliding up a position, or will someone like Davon Reed get consistent time as a pure backup for Devin Booker?

Finally, who is the odd man out in this bloated group?

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On today’s episode, we discuss which NBA awards the Suns could realistically be in contention for following the 2018-19 season.

We consider:Who would Devin Booker have to leapfrog to be an All-NBA guard?Can Deandre Ayton put up big enough numbers to fend off Marvin Bagley III or Luka Doncic for Rookie of the Year?Where does Mikal Bridges fall when contemplating this year’s rookie class? Could he make an All-Rookie team?Is there any chance TJ Warren accepts the sixth man role and plays well enough to get Sixth Man of the Year consideration?How good do the Suns have to be for Igor Kokoskov to earn Coach of the Year votes?

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On today’s episode, we welcome back former host Kellan Olson to celebrate episode No. 300 of the show.

To properly celebrate, we dove right into the Suns’ present and future, chatting about various hypotheticals, including:How good does Devin Booker have to be for it to translate to more winning?Is Josh Jackson the only real top-notch trade asset on the Suns?How long before we finally see the cash-in trade Ryan McDonough has been building toward?We get into all of it (and plenty more) in a very fun episode.

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On today’s episode, we break down the Suns’ 2018-19 schedule month by month, ending up with a very early projection of the team’s record next season.

The Suns have two road trips longer than four games before the calendar flips to 2019. That means they get the very best Eastern Conference teams out of the way early on, but it’s a tough way to start.

However, Phoenix has a real opportunity to make up ground in January and February and gel as a team to finish the year.

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The Suns are playing on national TV the first week of the NBA season!

To pump up the excitement of that matchup, at home against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 17, we brought on Mavs Moneyball contributor and Locked On Mavericks co-host Nick Angstadt to discuss the team’s offseason and the future of this sudden rivalry.

We get into plenty of the connections between the teams, and what to watch for on opening night:Why the league and ESPN got the matchup rightNick’s reaction to the trade that brought Luka Doncic to DallasThe Mavericks’ offseason compared with the Suns’Ranking the two teams’ young prospects

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On today’s episode, we break down the announcement that the NCAA is allowing agents into the game, talk about the guys who could be involved in the class of 2019, and circle back to the Suns with a Twitter mailbag.

The back-and-forth between college basketball and the NBA continues with this news, leaving the NBA to adjust its rules as it gears up toward allowing high school players back into the draft.

And since we’re on the topic of the draft, a quick preview of the top four guys in the class — R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, Zion Williamson and Nassir Little.

Finally, five Twitter questions on what to expect this upcoming season.

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On today’s episode, we break down how our predictions differ from Kevin Pelton’s statistical projections at ESPN and the Vegas betting odds. Then, we dive into Devin Booker’s growth and how his improvement will determine how good the Suns will be next year.

Pelton has the Suns at 27.2 projected wins over at ESPN, a number potentially weakened by the tanking Suns’ underperformance last season. Bovada in Vegas has the season line at 28.5 wins for Phoenix.

We are on the record as having the team between 30 and 35 wins assuming relative health, but it’s difficult to argue with models slightly lower on the Suns.

Of course, Booker will make or break this team’s improvement. Is he ready to make the leap to the upper echelon of efficient NBA scorers?

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