By Gerald Bourguet

Two preseason games isn’t much to go off of, but they’ve confirmed some of our suspicions entering the new season: The Phoenix Suns have some things to figure out with their starting lineup, but their bench unit should be one of their greatest strengths.

Last season, a litany of injuries forced Phoenix to turn to their reserves more often than expected. Jalen Green missed 50 games, Grayson Allen missed 31, Dillon Brooks missed 26, Mark Williams missed 22 and Devin Booker missed 18, which thrust Collin Gillespie into a starting role for most of the season, Oso Ighodaro into a starting gig down the stretch, and prompted spot starts for Ryan Dunn and Jordan Goodwin.

Now, heading into Year 2 under Jordan Ott, the Suns see that experience — and a few offseason additions and internal development from their own players — as a real boon to a second unit that would’ve been their lifeblood last year if not for how often they were playing with the first unit.

“Our depth from 12 months ago to now has significantly gotten better,” Ott said during training camp last week. “Some of that was due to the injuries, so we were able to find some depth through some of those injuries last year. And then I do think this summer will pay off. Our young guys — in the weight room, on the floor — have gotten better. I feel great about our depth, one through whatever. I don’t even want to say a number and exclude anyone, but the whole way through.”

Expecting the Suns to stay healthy is probably a fool’s errand. Mark Williams will already be sidelined by a torn labrum through at least mid-February, and in Phoenix’s second preseason game, Miles Bridges rolled his ankle 8 minutes in and did not return. Injuries are bound to happen to every team, and last year was a great example of how quality depth can help navigate those storms.

However, if the Suns are at least somewhat healthier than last year, and their bench guys actually, ya know, spend most of the season in their designated roles off the bench, this second unit could be one of the best in the entire NBA.

“I think we had that most of the year when we were healthy,” Dillon Brooks said at Media Day. “I think our bench really held us together in tough times, and now, praying that we have a healthy year and keeping guys out of the injury report, that our bench will show a lot more throughout the whole year, how great they really played and how great they are.”

The second unit starts with Gillespie, who was re-signed to a four-year, $48 million contract after a career year in which he started 58 games. Not only is Gillespie pivotal in the event Phoenix needs a spot starter who can play on or off the ball next to Devin Booker, but he can run the offense, make plays and provide some much-needed shooting off the bench. 

Gillespie set a single-season franchise record for most made 3s, drilling 40.1 percent of his 7.2 attempts per game last year, and the Suns will need him to find a way to be just as productive despite coming off the bench this time around. Early in the preseason, it’s clear Ott wants him to have the greenest of green lights, not just as a catch-and-shoot guy, but as a pull-up threat too:

“We can do a lot of different things with the group that we have, but I know my role, and I’m trying to be the best version of myself, the best basketball player that I can be,” Gillespie said at Media Day. “Whether I’m asked to come off the bench and run the second unit, I’m gonna try to do that to the best of my ability, and if guys are out one night, if I’m needed to step into the starting lineup, I’ll be ready to do that.

“But I’ve always been a ‘whatever it takes to win’ kinda guy, and whether that’s coming off the bench or whether that’s stepping in to start some games when guys are out, I’ll be ready to do whatever we need to do to win.”

One of the unexpected joys of last season was watching Gillespie’s instant synergy with Oso Ighodaro, another high-IQ player. They formed a connection pretty quickly in the pick-and-roll, on dribble handoffs and on pitch-and-catches, blitzing opposing defenses with quick-hitting actions and nonstop movement that was hard to keep up with, especially since Gillespie could spot up from 3 at any moment.

Williams’ absence means that Ighodaro will likely be bumped into the starting lineup, but as we’ve seen in the first two preseason games, he’ll get plenty of minutes with the reserves — a wise decision on Jordan Ott’s part, given how Oso’s smart secondary playmaking, quick screen-setting and basketball IQ pair well with Gillespie…and should with Luke Kennard as well.

Kennard is well-known as the second-most efficient 3-point shooter in NBA history on confounding low volume. But he’s more than a shooter, and we’ve seen in the first two preseason games how willing he is as a driver, pull-up shooter in the midrange when guys run him off the 3-point line, and crafty playmaker.

“I need to be comfortable at any spot on the floor, wherever I’m at,” Kennard explained at Media Day. “I always need to be ready to shoot, that’s obviously my first thing, and then whenever there’s a different situation, (if) I’m playing off a closeout, how can I create an advantage for our team? How can we keep that advantage and make the right play and get a good shot every time?”

Pairing Gillespie and Ighodaro’s synergy with Kennard’s gravity, 3-point efficiency, movement shooting and ability to facilitate off the bounce figures to be a borderline unfair combination. It’ll be a delight to watch those three develop cohesion over the course of a full season.

Kennard in particular is excited to show he’s more than just a 3-point shooter, and while the Suns will be trying to increase Kennard’s 3-point volume just like every other team before, pairing him in some of those same actions with Ighodaro will unlock a truly formidable number of combinations that defenses have to worry about with this second unit.

The first two preseason games have given us a few glimpses of what it might look like, and how their chemistry might replicate the connection Gillespie and Ighodaro enjoyed last year. During Wednesday’s preseason game against the Bulls, the two assisted each other a few times, including one gorgeous backdoor pass from Ighodaro to Kennard for a layup.

“I remember playing against it last year, it’s tough, really tough to guard,” Kennard said of the Ighodaro-Gillespie connection. “Just recently being here for about a month or so, getting some workouts in with the guys, getting connected, building those relationships, we’ve worked on some stuff that’s been really fun, and Oso’s a really good playmaker. He’s fun to play off of, and I know there’s gonna be a connection once we continue to get this thing rolling throughout the preseason.”

We’d be remiss to carry on any further without mentioning Jordan Goodwin, who’s the beating heart of the second unit — and arguably the Suns as a whole when it comes to the specific style of play they want to embody.

Forcing steals and deflections? Check.

Crashing the offensive glass with an unrelenting fervor? Check.

And improving as a 3-point shooter? Last year’s 37.1 percent shooting on a career-high 4.3 attempts per game was a pretty emphatic check.

The 3-point percentage needs to hold up for the sake of Phoenix’s long-range efficiency, but even if it doesn’t, Goodwin will still carve out minutes for himself because of his tenacious, hound-you-94-feet-up-the-floor defense, not to mention his ability to generate extra possessions through steals and offensive boards.

Whether they were starting or coming off the bench, Ighodaro, Gillespie and Goodwin were instrumental to the Suns’ success last year. In fact, that trio boasted a +9.2 Net Rating when they shared the court together.

Ighodaro being bumped into the starting lineup means they might not be sharing the floor as often, and now Kennard will be injected into the mix as well. But Ott likes to stagger his substitutions, so Ighodaro should still log meaningful minutes alongside those three, and how Gillespie, Goodwin and Kennard fare when they’re paired with Suns starters — especially Devin Booker — will matter.

Fortunately, all three of Ighodaro, Gillespie and Goodwin fared pretty damn well next to Book last season, as did fellow subs Khaman Maluach and Ryan Dunn in more limited minutes:

  1. Booker-Maluach: 194 minutes, +10.6 Net Rating
  2. Booker-Dunn: 571 minutes, +8.1 Net Rating
  3. Booker-Gillespie: 1,003 minutes, +7.0 Net Rating
  4. Booker-Ighodaro: 850 minutes, +5.5 Net Rating
  5. Booker-Goodwin: 725 minutes, +4.5 Net Rating
  6. Booker-Green: 494 minutes, +4.1 Net Rating
  7. Booker-Williams: 949 minutes, +3.7 Net Rating
  8. Booker-Allen: 689 minutes, +2.3 Net Rating
  9. Booker-Brooks: 1,184 minutes, +1.6 Net Rating
  10. Booker-O’Neale: 1,353 minutes, -0.5 Net Rating

Gillespie being able to spot up off the ball when Booker has the rock, or create plays that help Booker get off the ball, makes him a natural backcourt complement whenever they share the floor. Goodwin is used to playing up a position or two, and the havoc that he wreaks on both end can help any lineup. Kennard’s gravity, ability to attack closeouts and secondary playmaking will help, and we’ve already broken down how Ighodaro’s passing and smart screen-setting makes him one of Booker’s favorite pick-and-roll partners.

Throw in some desperation from Ryan Dunn in a make-or-break year, plus a leap from Khaman Maluach and/or Rasheer Fleming (hopefully), and the Suns’ second unit could be a formidable force on both ends of the floor, with plenty of shooting, playmaking, basketball IQ, length, athleticism and defensive tenacity to go around.

“Definitely excited for the second unit, especially when you got young guys that have been looking really good all summer, putting the work in,” Jordan Goodwin said at Media Day. “Really think Rasheer (Fleming) is looking really good, Ryan (Dunn)’s having a great summer. So yeah, the bench unit’s definitely gonna be fun. I think we can bring a little bit more scoring to the game to help the first unit out. Think that’s what all we guys have kinda been working on this summer is trying to expand our games a little bit.”

Granted, there’s still plenty to prove among the reserves. Injuries would put further strain on this depth, and we still need to see a lot more out of Dunn and/or Fleming to be assured all that potential and all those measurables actually translate to useful bench minutes.

Dunn being ahead of Fleming in the preseason rotation doesn’t seem like a vote of confidence in Fleming’s offseason progress, especially since, outside of one forced 8-second violation, Dunn hasn’t shown much through two preseason games either. One of those two will have to find a way to contribute meaningful minutes, unless the rookie Koa Peat somehow proves himself ready to surpass them both.

But outside of those questions about the backup 4-spot, if that second unit can add more consistent scoring to its resume like Goodwin talked about, it could arguably be the best bench unit in the entire league. Those are lofty ambitions, but given the concerns over the fit of the starting group, Phoenix will need its bench to take over games again this year.

Fortunately, they seem to be up to the task.

“It’s something that we pride ourselves on is when the starters go out, maintaining that level of play and taking it up another notch, changing the pace of the game,” Gillespie said. “So it’s definitely something that we think of, obviously, and whenever we talk about it before a game, it’s like, ‘All right, these guys are gonna get us off to a good start, and then we come and we take it up another level, we take it up another notch, we change the pace of the game, we get after people defensively, 94 feet.’

“That’s something that we pride ourselves on, it’s something that we’re expected to do when we go into the game, and then obviously lead that unit and be vocal leaders, be energy guys, be guys that are happy for their teammates’ success. Once everybody does that, I think you see the success of the team and how that can kind of translate through everybody.”

The post Assuming good health, Suns’ bench will be one of their greatest strengths first appeared on Sports360AZ.



–