Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

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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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ 106-104 loss to Portland.

From the litany of topics we dissected included a quick chat about Devin Booker returning to his normal role, and increasing his perimeter output. How has Elfrid Payton changed the floor spacing for him?

With another 30 point effort last night, Booker now has 17 such instances so far this season. Another interesting note to follow here is that in three games with Payton as his backcourt partner, Booker has attempted 11 3s on average.

Also, we looked at another change that took place in their guard rotation. Shaquille Harrison, who is on a 10-day contract from the NAZ Suns, once again took Tyler Ulis’ usual minutes. Harrison even saw crunch-time minutes and nearly converted a game-sealing steal on Damian Lillard, who finished with 40 himself including a game-winner with 0.9 seconds.

Are we approaching the end of Ulis in Phoenix? If so, how did we get here from last April? His contract next season is not guaranteed, so it’s plausible that they have already decided to move in a different direction.

Make sure to subscribe and stay tuned for more Suns draft coverage as March Madness begins in a few weeks.

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In today’s episode, we discussed the Suns’ 128-117 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, as well as a report implicating Arizona coach Sean Miller in the FBI’s NCAA corruption investigation. 

The Suns had a hollow 117 points trying to claw back from an early 20-point deficit (sound familiar?) at home against the Clippers. They allowed 65 combined points to Tobias Harris and Lou Williams, once again showing a complete lack of defensive energy. And it was one of the worst games in a while from the Dragan Bender-Marquese Chriss frontcourt. 

What gives?

And what does the investigation mean for Miller and Deandre Ayton, and for college basketball going forward?

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On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon discuss the latest reports out of San Antonio via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

As the relationship between Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs has seemingly headed south related to his recovery on a season-long quad injury, this opens the door for Leonard possibly wanting out this summer.

If that’s the case and he’s the next to follow in Kyrie Irving’s footsteps in terms of the next superstar asking out, is this the perfect time for Phoenix to swing for the fences? What's the best trade package Phoenix could offer San Antonio this summer?

Also, we discussed three prospects in-depth after our Kawhi discussion: Wendell Carter Jr., Mikal Bridges, and Michael Porter Jr. Evan believes Carter Jr. could have been in the discussion to be a top-five selection if he never played alongside Marvin Bagley III.

As we found out earlier today, Porter Jr. has been medically cleared by doctors after his back surgery in November. How does this change our boards, if at all?

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In today’s episode, we discuss Sporting News writer Sean Deveney’s report on Aaron Gordon’s pending free agency, in which he names the Suns as a potential suitor.

Deveney points to the fact that Gordon attended college for one season at Arizona as one reason Gordon might be interested in a return to the state. On the other hand, the Suns stack up as an interesting match because of their ability to create tons of cap room compared to the rest of the league.

Does the pairing make sense? What does the rumor tell us about the Suns’ place in this summer’s free agency market?

Finally, we discuss the top stories to watch as the Suns begin the final third of their season on Friday night at home.

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Devin Booker is the NBA Three-Point champion.

On tonight’s quick episode, we talk about how fun it is to finally see a Sun represented among the league’s top players.

As small an accomplishment as this may seem to be, setting the all-time single-round record in the contest and taking home a hulking trophy is awesome, in a season where there hasn’t been a ton to get excited about.

We wanted to get an episode up before Twitter breaks down into another no-holds-barred Booker vs. Donovan Mitchell debate with Mitchell in the dunk contest, so it was a quick one.

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With the All-Star break upon us, we took the time today to bridge the gap until Devin Booker’s 3-point contest performance with some draft talk.

Marvin Bagley is one of the most productive players in all of college basketball this season, leading a disjointed Duke roster to a promising season and maintaining his stock as one of the top available big men in this year’s draft.

Jaren Jackson Jr. has made the most of limited opportunities under Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and finally looks to be turning the corner after an explosive performance against Minnesota this week.

Mohamed Bamba has grown into a dominant rim protector and potential floor-spacer this year on a thin Texas roster, but questions remain about his motor and passion.

Which of these three is the better overall prospect? Which fits best in Phoenix? That and more in this peek at the top of the 2018 draft.

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Brendon and Evan recap Wednesday’s loss to the Jazz, which showed just how big a difference Devin Booker’s presence in the lineup can make. The Suns’ star guard got hot from behind the arc and it was actually fun to watch the Suns again.

New point guard Elfrid Payton had a triple-double in his third game with the Suns. Does his recent play change how the Suns view the draft or the offseason? Should it?

Finally, the hosts discussed an interview Marquese Chriss gave to the Arizona Republic’s Scott Bordow earlier this week. Chriss was at a loss for words trying to describe his mood and rhythm since returning from a January injury. What do we make of his comments?

And at the end, some typical draft chatter as we prepare for Arizona-ASU Part II in the Valley tonight.

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