What Did This Season Tell Us About Devin Booker and the Suns?

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It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. On today's episode of Locked on Sons,

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Devin Booker is the key to the whole thing working for the Sons ORG in his prime, has the longest contract, has the ball in his hands the most. But what does it look like for this team to be at its best with Devin Booker PERSON at the core? And what do we know about Devin Booker after his age 27 season? We'll break it all down. Let's go.

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You are lockeded on Suns, your daily Phoenix Suns podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

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And we're back. This is Locked on Phoenix Suns. We are part of the Lockdown Podcast Network ORG. I'm your host, Brendan Clean, a credentialed media member covering the Suns for the past seven seasons and the host of the Just Basketball show wherever you get your podcast. Thank you for making Locked On Sons, your first listen here on this Thursday. The offseason keeps rolling. Wherever you're finding us, hit follow or subscribe. We are free and available everywhere, including YouTube ORG. So just hit that button. Get a new episode in your feed every single Monday through Friday as the offseason from here on out through the entire off season, I should say. Get a new episode in your feed. Get locked on to the Phoenix Suns ORG.Becoming every day or do it right here. Joining us as he does every week is Stephen Perjone PERSON. He is a writer over at Bright Side of the Sun, podcaster at P HNX ORG. And Stephen, we have a lot to get to on the topic of Devin Booker PERSON today because this guy is going to be likely, fourth all-star appearance. I think he's headed toward his second All-N-B-A appearance.He's squarely in the middle of his prime. And yet, when I think about book right now, this is the first season in a long time where I feel like you would have to say, I'm not sure what he got better at. I'm not sure what leaps or strides I would saythat Devin Booker PERSON made despite the accolades and another playoff appearance and everything else.

Speaker 0145.44s - 240.4s

Yeah, I think you kind of set the tee up perfectly. And it's definitely a space where there's certainly a demand for more from Devin Booker PERSON. He's showing that he's obviously clearly capable of more. It's just a matter of how sustainable is it when he has those moments where things do perk up. Is it just kind of a peak within everything else that he's doing that's temporary or is it something sustained? And obviously we're going to dive into a handful of the things thatexist in those kind of inner skill development, player development realms for Devin Booker PERSON. But I think maybe the biggest thing that he could benefit from and naturally this era of Suns ORG basketball could benefit from is him establishing in a sustained manner, a higher ceiling and volume for three-point shooting. Obviously, there's no question he's a three-level score.He showed that in a 2021 run to the championship realm. realm the sons don't get there if he's not an absolute elite level three level score they don't beat the clippers without him being that they don't beat the lakers even more so in the first round without him being that knocking down pull up three after catch a shoot three after step back three going to both directions that's the space he's teased and showing that he can be in and knocking down three to three and a halfout of seven attempts on a per game basis. It's just a matter of him making that a true part of his identity and the next steps that he's taking. Do you think he thinks that?

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Because that's always the question, right? Because you said it. He's done it. So it's like we're in year, what, eight at this point, nine? Like, I don't know if that's, kind of feels like this is stylistically, for as long as he physically can do the things that he wants to do until his body forces him to adjust his game. I don't know if he thinks that's what makes him the best, and that's part ofwhat's such an interesting conversation around this guy because he has the skill set to do something. The team tends to be at its best when he does it, and yet he doesn't do it.

Speaker 0280.66s - 381.08s

Yeah, that's the, that is the shadow boxing going on with Devin Booker PERSON right now. He's obviously comfortable doing everything on the basketball floor going either direction, especially speaking to his abilities as a scorer, finishing at the basket, left or right, left hand, right hand, midi pull-ups after four or five or two or just one dribble, turning over either shoulder in the post now. Like, he has those boxes that he's checked off in terms of showing that he can do things.I think now the demand is going to be opening up the playbook in a sense to where, okay, we know you can hit your slants. We know you can hit your outs at 10 yards. What about the big post? What about the big corner post? Like, can you start hitting those to open up the playbookand force defenses to have to guard you at multiple different realms of the defense rather than, okay, we know he wants to get to the mid-range? We take away that. We limit his jobs to the basket, i.e. what the Minnesota Timberwolf ORG did, in addition to the pressure on ball. Make him be a three-point shooter.We know that's not something he necessarily wants to do. And honestly, quite literally, this kind of sounds a little bit like how people talked about Chris Paul in his post-prime years. Okay, we know he doesn't necessarily want to drive, but we can take that away. We know he wants to get to that midi at that right elbow or at that nail and the left elbow. If we can mitigate that as much as possible, turn them into a three-point shooter, we'll live with those results because we know that's the computer that processes everything well going against itself. It's starting to have some overlap in those conversationswith Devin Booker PERSON. And obviously, that's not a space that he should be in because of the type of

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athlete he is, but also just because of the shooting prowess that he's shown to have. Yeah. So I guess to bring some numbers into it in terms of how he plays, right? It's funny because I think the 2021 playoffs is an example that we all go to when we're talking about what it can look like when he's really unlocking that pull-up three. But really to me, that those couple of series, those moments, it was really that he did it in the game six against the Lakers, in the game, a few games against the Clippers. But he only made 31% of his pull-up threes in that playoff run, and he only took four a game.So you fast forward to now, that's basically the same volume he took on pull-up threes in the four games against the wolves, and the exact same volume that he took in the regular season this year in 67 games, and he had a better efficiency on those.So I do think there's been growth in the willingness and in the efficiency on that shot. Maybe in part the league is demanding that he do that even more, and defenses are improving to the level that some of that in-between game is even more difficult to have, be the fulcrum of an offense, so the demands of what is enough are higher. But at the same time, to balance that out, too, we also saw Book PERSON have the most drives per game of his career. And I think every year in the playoffs, for sure, Steve PERSON, and he increases his at-rimscoring volume. Like, if you look wherever he's out in the regular season, almost without a doubt, it either stays the same, which for most players, it's the opposite, or even ticks upward in terms of the proportion of his shots that are coming right at the basket. So he has adapted his game. I guess I wonder, like, does he have to, I don't know. I don't know what the difference will be for him to be a sometimes great enough offensive playerto put a team on his back versus consistently he's going to toe to toe with the guys the sons are going to need to get through. Or am I looking at that wrong? And maybe, hey, that's why you have two of the other stars. And it doesn't have to be that Book is playing as well as Yokic PERSON. And that's too reductive of it. I don't know where I land on that. It's fascinating because they have to get the most out of him, and yet I guess you could say they have,and they've still fallen short sometimes.

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Yeah, for me, and just generally speaking for me, but also in alignment with what you were just speaking to, that's all mental. And I think it's just an in-career adjustment. I keep equating it to what Chris Paul PERSON went through off of the math and the game of evolving.It's, I mean, it's not dissimilar to, you know, the space that Devin Booker PERSON presently is. You got to shake up the tree just the slightest bit mentally, but also mentally that also play into the shot profile that you're dictating with to an opponent. Because I think, I mean, I talked about the 21 playoff run from Devin Booker PERSON, though it was cut in half last last, or the season before last, rather, in 2022, or 22, or 23, rather,excuse me, that playoff run where he was quite literally doing everything on the basketball court in the first round against the Clippers ORG and was by far the best player in that series to the second round, going back and forth throwing haymakers with Yolkich PERSON in the second round. Obviously, the son's lost that series, but there was no, there was no question in the level of a fire starter that Devin Booker PERSON was upending

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an opponent's playbook ad nauseum on a game by game basis. And I think in that, therein lies

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the template for him to take yet even another step to where he's already obviously an elite basketball player. He's still the best shooting guard in the NBA ORG. I know recency bias can go against him in that, but are you going off of something that's been sustained for multiple years on the playoff stage or just what's going on on the hot topic right now? That's a question for the people that want to actually go back and forth with that. I think we pretty much are on the same page with that. I think he just has to get, like I mentioned in the opening of this specific stanza, it's the mental part of it, adding a littlebit more to where he's taking just a couple more shots from deep. I think naturally he's going to garner more field. He's a field basketball player. He gets more field from deep. Starts dictating a little bit more with that. I think his scoring averages go up and get even closer to 30 a game in the regular season.And by way of that, his impact on the game as a scoring takes even the slightest bit of an uptick that keeps them in a more advantageous position to then dictate come postseason play, which is obviously what's most important for him at this point in his career.

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Yeah, I think truly, like, Book PERSON is one of the only guys you can legitimately say is a three-level scorer in the NBA ORG. As far as getting to those spots, creating shots for himself at all three levels, and being able to make those shots efficiently against good defense. But I think sometimes we see with him the downside or the challenges of being that versatile. And I think the other element of that is the mental approach to, okay, you can attack a defenseanyway, but what is that defense giving you? What is that defender, that matchup, that coverage giving you? How do you commit to that and get to it consistently? And then physically, which I think is an element that has unfortunately plagued him too often, are you physically able to do that? Because like you mentioned, 2023 playoff run, he was doing things athletically that we've never seen him do because I think he felt great. But that's not always been the case. So you mentioned, though, that in that playoff run, he was doing everything on the court. I want to talk about the defense and I want to talk aboutcontext around him a little bit more in the next segment. So we'll get into that coming up in just a second. First, today's show brought to you by Yahoo Finance ORG. Wouldn't it be great if you could see all of your investment and retirement accounts all in one place? Well, good news with Yahoo finance, you can do exactly that. Consolidate your views for multiple accounts into one hub. Access the expert analysis you need to tend to your entire portfolio with confidence. For more than 25 years, Yahoo Finance ORG has beenthe brand behind every great investor. Whether you're a seasoned investor or are looking for that extra guidance, Yahoo Finance ORG gives you all the tools and data you need in one place. They are the number one finance destination, Yahoo Finance gives you all the tools and data you need in one place. They are the number one finance destination, providing a holistic look at the financial news cycle, including breaking news, editorial perspective,analyst ratings, independent research, charts that are customizable, and so much more. Securely link your brokerage accounts for a unified view of your wealth, including 401K and other investments. A comprehensive perspective is what sets apart great investors and how Yahoo Finance ORG ensures you have the insight to look at your wealth in its entirety. With a community of over 90 million users each month, their real strength is helping you on your way to financial success. For comprehensive financial news and analysis,visit the brand behind every great investor. Yahoofinance.com, the number one, financial destination. Yahoofinance.com. That's Yahoo!finance.com ORG.

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So one of the things that I've been mulling over, and it came up with a guest last week, is this big picture trend with book, I guess you could say, where his best seasons, whether you're talking about making the finals or production and efficiency, up until this year, you would have said those came next to a point guard, right? Because early on in his career, he's getting all thisvolume, he's a young player, just kind of learning the ropes and has 70 points and all that stuff. And then Ricky Rubio PERSON comes for a while. That was book's best season ever, production and efficiency-wise. He goes to the finals when Chris Paul's there. This year, I think you would probably say would have to replace all those other ones as his best season, production and efficiency-wise, no point card. So it's this weird dynamic where his kind of winning has come largely with Chris Paul PERSON,with a point guard, and yet when he's been in those situations, whether it was Rubio PERSON, whether it was Chris Paul PERSON, or even various guys super early in his career, when you're watching those moments, you're like, shouldn't Book PERSON kind of have the ball in his hands more? Which leads you to where you are now. So what do you make of,we don't have to do the whole do the Sons-Dena ORG point guard specific conversation, but just this idea of like, if I'm in a lab saying this is Devin Booker's PERSON perfect basketball situation. What does that look like to you? And how close are the Sons ORG to that?

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Well, I think it looks at least a little bit like what they're getting to in this current rendition or current era of Sons ORG basketball. You obviously insulate him and I insulate him in airclose because he doesn't need it, per se, but he definitely has to have it with him in the postseason because he can't just beat him. And that's having somebody with the presence that Kevin Durant PERSON has.And by presence, I mean somebody that's going to command the attention of multiple defenders every time they have the basketball, somebody that has a certain level, if not elite level of scheme versus, or scheme, excuse me, I was about to say scheme versatility. time they have the basketball, somebody that has a certain level, if not elite level of scheme versus or scheme, excuse me, I was about to say scheme versatility. That's the defense. Someone that forces an opponent to toggle through multiple things to try to stop them.Just almost scheme proof is what I was getting at.

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Yeah. And having a counterpunch that every punch that an opponent might try to throw out the,

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Kevin Durant PERSON, you throw double teams at him. He's shown that he's capable of as a passer. He's also shown to be capable to just say, yeah, forget your double team. I'm just going to raise over the top, knock down his midi, after midi, after Mee, after post-turner. Like, he's shown to be that player, obviously.So having a player like that to go alongside Devin Booker, if not sometimes be even potentially better than him in any particular game over the regular season, but especially on the playoff stage, is extremely important. And I think the other thing is having that third player around them doesn't have to necessarily be a superstar per se, but having a player that can check off boxes to where, okay, an opponent has a solid game plan that's doing just enough to stifle Kevin Durant and break the rhythm with Devin Booker PERSON, can you go and get your own basket without needing our help to set the table for you? Can you also, by way of that, create advantages for us to play off of us if I'm speaking as Devin Booker PERSON? I think he has those requisite pieces, like I mentioned, as a template in this present rendition. Now, the pieces have to click and handle their business in a way that they need to on a postseason stage.But I do think that the pieces that he needs to optimize himself on that playoff stage are already in position on the roster at the moment. Even though they didn't get the results, they obviously, you can say they should have, but they definitely pay to get on the postseason stage.So just kind of looking at it from that lens, even without a traditional point guard per se, I think they have surrounded him with the pieces to optimize where he is in his career at the moment. Yeah, I think so too.

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I mean, that's the thing, right? Like, I can't sit here and say they don't when all offseason last year leading into the regular season, I thought it made sense, right? Like that's been the urge I think a lot of us should just be fighting, analyzing this team, because it didn't work out and different things happened. Like, you're seeing a very good offense get stifled by the same defense the sun's lost to. You're seeing, you know, different players hit the playoffs or hit a matchup or hit a spurt of disconnect or physical problems and all that stuff. And the same things can happen.So results don't necessarily need to change the process here. But I guess when I think about, okay, here's how I put it, right? I think aggressiveness to me is the thing that was missing when I think about that Minnesota ORG series. Now, how aggressive can you even be when you're being, you know, like the equal and opposite reaction type of situation is happening? And those guys are taking you out of your rhythm, taking you off your spots, taking time off the clock every single chance they get and whatever. So it's almost set the wolf stuff out of it.But for this situation to work and for even if you compare it to the Chris Paul setup, it might not have been a player or Durant PERSON in his more methodical approach or different things, but it was the offense was constantly churning, the defense was constantly reacting. And Booker PERSON was able to thrive in an environment where he can read a rotating defense, read a defense that's being stretched out.And in those situations, we probably weren't sitting here feeling like, oh, he's not sure where to attack or how to attack, or can he have the ball in his hands, all that stuff. It wasn't happening this year often enough, I think, because of that has intensity, of those lack of reps, that disconnect, lack of depth, where that wasn't continuing when certain pieces were on the bench, all that stuff.But it's not the same thing, but the basic principles like you're describing are still there. And they're at an even higher level to give Booker PERSON space to score, space to do what he does on offense. He scored 49 or 48 or whatever it was in his last game of the season because they opened things up and went more on offense. And for once, you know, for once, at least in a long while, he ended his playoff situation on a higher note than he has. You know, there was no, oh, he was heard and oh, he sucked in the last game and all that.He actually went out a little better. So, yeah, I guess that's all to say. Like, to me, it's still right there. They just need to be better as a group. Defensively, I think we talked about it last episode. He wasn't good enough.Frank Vogel PERSON said from the very beginning, Frank Vogel can be a hedger at time, Stephen PERSON. He said from the very beginning this team was out of personnel disadvantage on the defensive end. And so for eight months after that, for the best player on the team or co-star of the teamto not be that guy consistently and make up for that disadvantage, that's a big disappointment and especially coming off that playoff run. Like, it's part of the job description at this point. They don't have McHale Bridges and Jay Crowder PERSON anymore. Book PERSON has to be on the level of what those guys were providing in order for this team to get stops, especially in big games.

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Yeah, and I think that's where naturally being better with the roster building around what you have established, like we talked about as those pieces that are in place as pillars to help optimize Devin Booker PERSON naturally optimize this era of Suns basketball. You have to compliment those pieces that are in place as pillars to help optimize Devin Booker and naturally optimize this era of Suns ORG basketball. You have to compliment those pieces with the requisite pieces around, not just in skill set, not just an archetype, but you have to have some of those intangibles, the things that are not necessarily skills. So first of which being a periodbetween the ears, IQ. We saw the Suns in this first round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves. They lost that series for physicality, but I think also in execution and just IQ and read and react and consistently planning those scenarios, the Timberwolves also outmatched the Suns ORG collectively. And that's something that if you're talking about contending,is a non-negotiable. You have to have a certain level IQ-wise that you're operating at for that level of play on that specific stage to optimize whatever it is that you have in your group. And when you're at a disadvantage when it comes to that, it's hard to make up for that with just scoringor just prolificity with whatever it is you're doing on offense. So that part is big. But you talk about the defense, and he certainly left a lot more to be desired on that end this season as well. Pretty sure he's a rather a rather candid person himself. He never has his bet when saying, I could have been better at this or that or XYZ.I think if you asked them straight up, did he have a good defensive season compared to what he expected to be at coming into the season. He probably would have said he left some food on the table. And I think he would be correcting that assessment. That's where I'm at with it. And I think before speaking to the negative parts, I will saythis, I feel like it was his most communicative season as a

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defender. And you're

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talking about taking steps towards what McHale Bridges PERSON was or even before McHale, what Jay Crowder PERSON was, if you're looking at levels in terms of tiers of defense. That big piece is communication, especially when if you're Devin Booker PERSON, you're not necessarily a point of attack defender.So naturally, your man is going to be on the second side of a lot of actions. How consistently are you communicating? How preemptively are you communicating? What are you saying? What are you saying? And are you early with your help in positioning? And I think those three boxes in terms of the communication, being in positioning,and just generally being active from that side of ball. I think he left some to be desired. But I would say if I gave him a grading out of a scale of 1 to 10, I would say he was a solid 8 in spurts off the ball. Now, the consistency part is where he leaves a little bit more to be desired. I think early in the season he wasn't as engaged on the defensive side as he could have been.I think there's games that they could have won that would have kept them out of being the 60 going into the playoffs and potentially been four or five and even potentially hosting a first round series. And I'm looking directly at him specifically defending off the ball. I think his activity as a low man has he shown, I mean, he's shown how many spurts and different deposits to where he can provide secondary rim protection, whether I be stepping over the helpline early to take a charge and sacrificing his body or being on time with a one or two step contest off a

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verticality just to contest, like I said, without fouling at the basket.

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He's shown to do those things and he's also shown to be able to help the helper in those scenarios where if his teammate is a low man and he's the guy that's above the low man on the weak side, he's able to sink in, help the helper rotate out whether he's exing out or just getting back into traditional rotations and run three-point shooters off the three-point line and then be able to still recover off of contesting.And those different kind of boxes he's checking off defensively. I think he's good in those. He has the requisite level of athleticism and length to be consistently impactful there. I think it just comes down to a sense of urgency on that end. You never have to question his urgency in terms of getting a bucket. He gets that naturally in his sleep.He has to start to marry more of those type of deposits and efforts on the defensive side. And I think naturally him starting with doing that offball and offball scenarios is going to be important. And again, like we keep coming back to, the template for him is that 2023 playoff run. We saw him doing all of those things I was talking about as a low man or just generally commanding things from the weak side of a defense on consistency in that first round series against the Los Angeles Clippersand then especially in that second round series against the different nuggets. He has to expand that bar and start to find that window, that space he was operating in in the 223 playoffs to make it essentially his foundation that he's building off of going into this next chapter in his career.

Speaker 41667.92s - 1711s

Yeah, foundation's a great way to put it, right? I mean, like, I'm at the point with him where he's not a young player anymore. He's so in command as an offensive guy that I know he knows what the opposing team is doing when he's playing defense. You can see it in the fact that he's pointing and talking more than he ever has. But I think it just speaks to a lot of what this season was of overthinking, not being connected,making mental mistakes because of all that, where he's back to, despite us knowing he has it figured out, making some of the mistakes pre-christ Paul PERSON, getting back to, despite us knowing he has it figured out, making some of the mistakes pre-Christ Paul, getting back cut. That's the big one.

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Not making little rotations to stay in line with the spacer who's lifting from the corner to the wing. And damn, he just moved and I'm a touch late on the closeout. Just those little ones where it's like, those matter.

Speaker 41725.64s - 1813.8s

Even if you knew what you were doing, it didn't happen, you know, and that's the scale he's judged on now, definitely. So, all right, let's close it out with a little bit of a look ahead to the off-season. What do the suns not have currently, even though that we've agreed they have enough, they have a lot, what else can get them that much closer to the ultimate goal to break it down coming up next? First, today's show brought you by Monopoly Go PRODUCT. Game on. We've got to pause here to talk moreabout Monopoly Go PRODUCT. I know what you're saying. Technical foul, you already talked about that, but there's just so much good stuff in Monopoly Go PRODUCT that we can't help ourselves. We're obsessed with it here on the Lockdown podcast network. and in Monopoly Go PRODUCT, you can team up with your friends for time tournaments, where you work together to build up each other's boards, meaning the more you win together, the more awesome prizes you unlock together. There's so much to get.Stickers, you can trade with friends, complete albums for big prizes, cool new playing pieces, upgrading on the original classic game, and hilarious emojis for taunting your friends, talking a little bit of trash when you smash their buildings or heist their vaults. Plus Monopoly Go feels new and exciting every day with constantly changed tournaments and challenges, including unique mini games, digging for treasure and more. There's always new timed events that help you win big stuff those pockets like massive multipliers for everything you win, as well as rent frenzies. There's always something fun to discover in Monopoly Go PRODUCT, so get off the bench,go download it now free on Google Play or the App Store ORG. Game on. This is Jake from Lockdown WORK_OF_ART.

Speaker 31814.16s - 1881.12s

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Speaker 41881.12s - 2000.66s

So I think one of the lessons of the playoffs to me, whether you even look back to what Miami did in their postseason run, as well as Minnesota, Boston, the Thunder ORG, frankly, I think that functional strength, positional athleticism, positional size, those things are only getting more and more important. I think that's why you see the teams like the Warriors ORG, frankly, or even the Lakers. Numerous examples, the Kings, the Cavs, who are kind of playing in a different era. It feels like building a roster, playing a style to win in an erathat the NBA ORG might have already passed on from. I'm not saying, I mean, the Sons ORG have this thing where, like, they can kind of go in any direction, even though they don't have a lot of assets to build. Their roster is very in the middle because guys could leave with the player options,they could trade some of these guys. They can take a draft pick or not take a draft pick. So they do have an opportunity in a weird way to kind of move in whatever feels right. And I would say Frank Vogel PERSON is a coach who I think can thrive with this era and with competing against some of the teams that I just listed off. So I guess all that is to say, the NBA ORG is changing. I think the Suns ORG can fit in.How do you think book fits into that? Do you feel like there's any changes based on even go back to the Dallas ORG series, the Minnesota ORG series, some of these moments where he's just gotten so physically uncomfortable and disoriented, does that matter to you? Or are you thinking big picture and book will figure it out? Books good enough to handle all that. Yeah, I think he's,

Speaker 02000.66s - 2085.92s

I think he's great enough to figure those things out. I think there's things to learn lesson-wise in each of those shortcomings. And I think, I think there's things to learn lesson-wise in each of the shortcomings. And I think there's also lessons to learn even in the positives that we've seen from over the course of his playoff career in particular. And I think kind of like we talked about with the pillars being obviously Bradley Bill and Kevin DeRae PERSON around everything that he does, being able to field a better roster around those types of talents is going to naturally put those three players in better positions to be the best versions of themselves that this team isgoing to need them to be. Naturally also having another season of reps and knock on wood, let's hope that that's a healthy one because the more healthy they are, that means that's more time, more reps, more reps under different circumstances against different types of teams that you're going to need so that when you get into the first round series, you know, you have all your boxes checked off in terms of knowing, okay, in this scenario,we can do this, and then in that scenario, we can do that, we can play this way, we can play that way. And again, you just have a general level of reps built up to do so. But I think it's going to be more contingent upon James Jones PERSON. I think it's being called to task this upcoming offseason. Decided to go to Big Three route. Okay, cool. That might not necessarily be the route that other people would like to, but that's the, that's the deck of cards that you decided to play.That's fine.

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Even James, I'm not sure decided that if we're being fair, but he has to fix it. So who cares who cares.

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Well, yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. It might not necessarily have been him that chosen, but he's the one that has to fix it. I think that's a, that's the correct way of wording it. He's been caught the task because this roster that they've seen built the last, what, two seasons, like, two seasons.I mean, you want to exclude a little bit of the Kevin Durant PERSON edition because you have to give up things to Adam PERSON. So we won't count that against them per se, but he has the really hit on the margins with this team in a way that he didn't in the past off season DATE. Obviously, they made moves that sounded good and looked good on paper, but in context, it didn't hit the way that it needed to, even to the extreme that a lot of those players got shipped out at the deadline.So you have to be more sharp, and it's obviously not just him. There's very much a team thing in assessing skills and assessing talent that's available and free agency, but he's the one that's ultimately signing off on those things as far as being a general manager. And again, if he does it right, they have the pieces to be still playingcome this time next year and be playing in a dominant fashion. But if those things come up short again, potentially start seeing them struggle in the first round again, it's not going to be pretty. And I just feel like if he's able to make these things happen, again, it's obviously with going around with Big Three, you don't have as much room to wiggle as you would if youhave like a Big Two or Big One. Yeah.

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But still, it's a situation you're in.

Speaker 02178.94s - 2204.14s

You got to play the cards that you're dealt. And, you know, they just need, they need that requisite level of athleticism and size at the other three positions or two positions around them whenever they're sharing the floor of being the big three or two of the big three. And again, if they can do that infuse more youthfulness and more athleticism around everything they're doing, I think a template what we saw is a little bit of what the Dallas Mavericks ORG did at the trade deadline.

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They went and found pieces that were within their budget were well within their budget,

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and they were able to execute trades to bring in some more youthfulness and some more athleticism and some more size around everything that Kevin Durant PERSON, or Kevin Durant.

Speaker 42217.14s - 2275.46s

Kyrie Irvin and Luca Donches are doing, and we're seeing them reap the benefits of that now in the second round. That's exactly the example that I come back to, you know? And I don't, I guess it's a little bit, it's several steps down from where the suns are now and not really an option that they have, but Dallas ORG was the laughing stock last year, right? They make the Kyrie PERSON trade, they bench their guys down the stretch, they don't even make the play in.But that allowed them to kind of take a breath, reset, and now here they are right back with a chance to return to the Western Conference Finals, which is where they were the year before. It can work to build and keep trying stuff and you nail a Derek Jones PERSON signing and you nail a PJ Washington trade. And now you have eight guys, seven, eight, nine guys you trust and you can make a run when you have a top heavy roster. I will also point out, you know, Denver ORG is thought of as, you know, don't even get me started on the like built not bought

Speaker 02275.46s - 2283.86s

BS that they throw around, but like as annoying and goofy as that is, it's also, you know, okay,

Speaker 42284.1s - 2360.2s

well, Yokage is on a super max. Murray's on a big contract. Michael Porter Jr. PERSON got a max that he hadn't really done a lot to earn if we're being honest compared to what a lot of guys have done at his age. But the injuries and the role he plays and everything else, give 20, 30 million Darren Gordon here. You do a trade for KCP. He's making 20. They don't have a bench right now either. You know, they're relying on can these guys hit? They're not minimum contracts. They're secondround picks. You feel a little better about their upside. They might be a little younger. But Peyton Watson doesn't have his coaches trust right now. Christian Brown PERSON feels pretty under physically not able to compete. It's just a matchup thing in some ways. But those fans are asking the same questions Sun ORG's fans are asking right now because it's hard and there's no perfect way to do it. So I guess that's all just to say that. I think the number one priority no matter what they do or how they do it is get bigger, get more athletic. That was what I said last off season.They tried it. Kada Bates-Diop flamed out. Nassir Little PERSON didn't really work out. Now they were back to square one playing Grayson Allen at the three and crossing their fingers. But real quick, 30-second answer, Stephen PERSON. What is, whether it's a position or kind of the same archetype like I just gave out, what should their highest priority be as far as the types of players they're pursuing this off-season?

Speaker 02362.18s - 2393.3s

I'm certainly torn at that answer, and I think it's twofold. I think it's either finding the best wing or the best center type of prospect that you can add to this roster. Obviously, being an athlete with size that can have an impact on both sides of the ball, insulating your big three, I think that's the most important. But if I'm coming down to splitting hairs and choosing just one, like you phrased in the question, I would pick the best of the wing in the center that you're able to attain based on the restraints and whatnot that you have

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contractually cap-wise. I like it. How about you? I'm curious where you are on. Yeah, I'm probably

Speaker 02399.8s - 2404.54s

leaning more of a big perimeter player, whether that's, you know, Chris Dunn's PERSON name has come up

Speaker 42404.54s - 2411.74s

already. That would be interesting to me, especially since he can handle the ball a little bit. I'm more of a big perimeter player, whether that's, you know, Chris Dunn's PERSON name has come up already, that would be interesting to me, especially since he can handle the ball a little bit. I'm sure there'll be guys in that early 20s range.

Speaker 02411.84s - 2422.36s

If they were to keep the pick, who are wings, Delon Wright is a little bit of like an older, Chris Dunn's 30. I don't think people realize that, but a little bit even older than that, a similar type of guy.

Speaker 42423.28s - 2496.56s

The draft, you know, there's going to be wings and forwards there if you're willing to roll the dice. I'm not fully sold because I don't know the prospects well enough, and we don't know how the draft will play out to say that they should or shouldn't really, but I wouldn't be opposed to keeping that pick if I'm the Sonsif it nets out a playable guy the same way free agency could or a trade could. But, yeah, a big guard or wing would be the preference and somebody, you know, probably, I don't know. I want to say younger, but I just made the case in a previous episode this week of like they bet really young this past off season and that didn't work out. So there's no easy answer. But positionally, that's what I would pick. But we'll see what they do. We'll see what the coaching situation is like.You know, missed an episode yesterday because we're just waiting on this news, folks, and then we'll have more to talk about. But that'll wrap us up. Check out Stevens PERSON writing throughout the off season. If you want to hear what Angel Reese PERSON is up to, Steven's got you covered there as well over at CHGOGO. I'll be back one more time this week, hopefully with the Vogel PERSON reaction on this feed. So hit follow or subscribe here if you haven't already.And we'll catch you guys tomorrow. Hey, Prime members.

Speaker 22497.02s - 2504.24s

You can listen to this locked on podcast ad free on Amazon Music ORG. Download the Amazon Music app today.

Speaker 52505.52s - 2543.28s

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