2023-24 Season Discussion and Speculation 3 - Post Free Agency Discussion

[KdoubleDees23]

I have a feeling Ayton will be more important to the suns than Beal.

I am excited to see a front court of Eubanks and Ayton. Metu and Ayton & watanabe and Ayton! would like to see how each fits

[garrick]

I think a more fun question is: who becomes the Landry Shamet of this team? Someone who we all hate but gets way too much playing time anyway (NOT allowed to say Ayton).

The thing that seems to be different about the roster this year is that everyone has fairly good energy and hustle. So no one will be a total liability. But typically fans grow to dislike at least one player, so it’s just funny to speculate.

I hope I'm wrong but I feel like expectations are pretty high for Watanabe and if he isn't shooting a lethal % from 3, that people will get frustrated with him pretty quick.

He's strictly a 3 & D guy since he can't efficiently create for himself but he's not exactly a volume 3pt shooter and has never averaged double figures in scoring so I hope expectations aren't too high for him.

I do hope he can average close to 10 PPG this season though and don't see why he wouldn't since he should get plenty of wide open looks this season.

[sunsbg]

Reading lately a lot of opinions on GB about Jokic not being in love with basketball, which for many is the case with Ayton, makes me thing it's not really about the love for the game, but being mature person and taking your job seriously. Hopefully Ayton is still growing in this regard and we never see him underperform in crucial moments for the team again.

[lilfishi22]

Reading lately a lot of opinions on GB about Jokic not being in love with basketball, which for many is the case with Ayton, makes me thing it's not really about the love for the game, but being mature person and taking your job seriously. Hopefully Ayton is still growing in this regard and we never see him underperform in crucial moments for the team again.

A lot of players do this not for the love of it but because they have NBA talent and can make life changing money. Just like a lot of regular folk do what they do because it's their highest earning potential, but it isn't their passion because their passion can't fund a certain lifestyle and/or support a family.

I've never thought basketball was a passion for Ayton. The Jokic thing is just a lot bigger because he's and MVP and NBA champion. It just makes the tough times easier to deal with if you have a passion for what you do and I think tough times become harder when it's not your passion. But basketball players, like us regular folk, should still take their job seriously because that's part of being a professional.

[Frank Lee]

Being professional…. A lesson DA needs to learn. Some say he doesnt complain, puts in his gym work, doesnt get into trouble/make headlines and claim he IS professional. Thats the bare minimum and it separates good from great.

All the rap on this kid is about his effort and his desire to win. Comes from external and internal observations. He must feel like the bottom of a dog pile as the criticism is coming from all angles. Former players, teammates, talking heads, front office, and fans all say the same thing in varying degrees of bluntness and delivery.

He might meltdown if he doesnt respond to the heat. Dont know if he has ever faced such a personal challenge as he appears to have had a lollypop put in his mouth from day one. The game has been easy for him, and his attitude reflects it. Guess its time for his first fitting of big boy pants now.

We sure need him to respond in a positive way and pick up the intensity. Vogel, Fizz, and Young gotta play some mind games on this Bahamian baby. I mean come on, how many times do we see he needs to get his touches to keep him engaged? $30+ mil per should be enough to do that eh?

This might not end well if he slow plays it continues to jack around.

[POLI]

I think a more fun question is: who becomes the Landry Shamet of this team? Someone who we all hate but gets way too much playing time anyway (NOT allowed to say Ayton).

The thing that seems to be different about the roster this year is that everyone has fairly good energy and hustle. So no one will be a total liability. But typically fans grow to dislike at least one player, so it’s just funny to speculate.

I hope I'm wrong but I feel like expectations are pretty high for Watanabe and if he isn't shooting a lethal % from 3, that people will get frustrated with him pretty quick.

He's strictly a 3 & D guy since he can't efficiently create for himself but he's not exactly a volume 3pt shooter and has never averaged double figures in scoring so I hope expectations aren't too high for him.

I do hope he can average close to 10 PPG this season though and don't see why he wouldn't since he should get plenty of wide open looks this season.

That's it.
He is an average player who could improve a little, but taking into account that his role will be to play in the place of KD or the other forward for 10-12 minutes. Hopefully we will be up in the score by a lot in many games at halftime and the bench players will be able to play more than thought now.

[handsome salary]

If these players and organization can't win it all this year they never will with Booker and/or Ayton.

[spanishninja]

If these players and organization can't win it all this year they never will with Booker and/or Ayton.

yeah, this season will probably show us how strong the Suns curse is.

[sashaturiaf]

Being professional…. A lesson DA needs to learn. Some say he doesnt complain, puts in his gym work, doesnt get into trouble/make headlines and claim he IS professional. Thats the bare minimum and it separates good from great.

All the rap on this kid is about his effort and his desire to win. Comes from external and internal observations. He must feel like the bottom of a dog pile as the criticism is coming from all angles. Former players, teammates, talking heads, front office, and fans all say the same thing in varying degrees of bluntness and delivery.

He might meltdown if he doesnt respond to the heat. Dont know if he has ever faced such a personal challenge as he appears to have had a lollypop put in his mouth from day one. The game has been easy for him, and his attitude reflects it. Guess its time for his first fitting of big boy pants now.

We sure need him to respond in a positive way and pick up the intensity. Vogel, Fizz, and Young gotta play some mind games on this Bahamian baby. I mean come on, how many times do we see he needs to get his touches to keep him engaged? $30+ mil per should be enough to do that eh?

This might not end well if he slow plays it continues to jack around.

This season is put up or shut up time for Ayton. Expectations are completely different now with Booker, KD and Beal here, all 3 being consummate professionals and focused on winning a championship. Vogel also strikes me as a no nonsense guy who won't be afraid to challenge players.

We've already seen Ishbia won't hesitate to make big moves, if the same old inconsistent moody Ayton comes back this season he's gone by the trade deadline, guaranteed.

[Bogyo]

If these players and organization can't win it all this year they never will with Booker and/or Ayton.

yeah, this season will probably show us how strong the Suns curse is.

I think we have seen enough from that from Manning's knees through SA suspension to Bucks whatever happened there.

[WeekapaugGroove]

If these players and organization can't win it all this year they never will with Booker and/or Ayton.

yeah, this season will probably show us how strong the Suns curse is.

I don't know if not winning it all can be attributed to a curse when you're a +650 title odds team. Vegas gives them about a 1 in 6 chance of a chip. But that's still good odds, depending on the site either Denver or Boston are the favorites with about +400/450 odds.

This team should be good and a legit contender but this isn't the KD warriors or some juggernaut like that.
Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[handsome salary]

If these players and organization can't win it all this year they never will with Booker and/or Ayton.

yeah, this season will probably show us how strong the Suns curse is.

I think we have seen enough from that from Manning's knees through SA suspension to Bucks whatever happened there.

There's no juggernaut standing in their way right as of right now. The only thing that's going to hold them back (again) is luck and themselves. Booker and Ayton were given fantastic opportunites to win it all 2 of the past 3 seasons but didn't. It's either third times the charm or three strikes and you're out.

[bwgood77]

Being professional…. A lesson DA needs to learn. Some say he doesnt complain, puts in his gym work, doesnt get into trouble/make headlines and claim he IS professional. Thats the bare minimum and it separates good from great.

All the rap on this kid is about his effort and his desire to win. Comes from external and internal observations. He must feel like the bottom of a dog pile as the criticism is coming from all angles. Former players, teammates, talking heads, front office, and fans all say the same thing in varying degrees of bluntness and delivery.

He might meltdown if he doesnt respond to the heat. Dont know if he has ever faced such a personal challenge as he appears to have had a lollypop put in his mouth from day one. The game has been easy for him, and his attitude reflects it. Guess its time for his first fitting of big boy pants now.

We sure need him to respond in a positive way and pick up the intensity. Vogel, Fizz, and Young gotta play some mind games on this Bahamian baby. I mean come on, how many times do we see he needs to get his touches to keep him engaged? $30+ mil per should be enough to do that eh?

This might not end well if he slow plays it continues to jack around.

I've never heard any "doesn't have the desire to win" from reputable sources, other than assumptions by fans, etc. I hear some about effort/motor and I get that but also do feel he overthinks, which freezes him, and he needs to play with instinct. I don't think he is out there just thinking "who cares?" I've felt this way since watching him in college. He isn't always playing with his instinct and is overthinking too much. It's plain as day. I'm surprised more don't see it.

[bwgood77]

Being professional…. A lesson DA needs to learn. Some say he doesnt complain, puts in his gym work, doesnt get into trouble/make headlines and claim he IS professional. Thats the bare minimum and it separates good from great.

All the rap on this kid is about his effort and his desire to win. Comes from external and internal observations. He must feel like the bottom of a dog pile as the criticism is coming from all angles. Former players, teammates, talking heads, front office, and fans all say the same thing in varying degrees of bluntness and delivery.

He might meltdown if he doesnt respond to the heat. Dont know if he has ever faced such a personal challenge as he appears to have had a lollypop put in his mouth from day one. The game has been easy for him, and his attitude reflects it. Guess its time for his first fitting of big boy pants now.

We sure need him to respond in a positive way and pick up the intensity. Vogel, Fizz, and Young gotta play some mind games on this Bahamian baby. I mean come on, how many times do we see he needs to get his touches to keep him engaged? $30+ mil per should be enough to do that eh?

This might not end well if he slow plays it continues to jack around.

This season is put up or shut up time for Ayton. Expectations are completely different now with Booker, KD and Beal here, all 3 being consummate professionals and focused on winning a championship. Vogel also strikes me as a no nonsense guy who won't be afraid to challenge players.

We've already seen Ishbia won't hesitate to make big moves, if the same old inconsistent moody Ayton comes back this season he's gone by the trade deadline, guaranteed.

People act like Ayton played like he did last year every year. As a rookie he had horrid defense but was playing instinctively and very good offensively for a rookie with 1 year college experience. Then his defense took major steps in years 2 and 3 and he looked better and better, and then in year 4 his offense took a major step. He was inconsistent but so is everyone.

This last year was different...some bad games here and there...what appeared to be motor issues at times, but our roster was also crap while we had like 7 players injured for long stretches so he was always playing with different players. It impacted Bridges as well for a long while.

If we are healthy, and with a fresh start, a training camp with new players, he should get better. He had a slow start shooting last year, so hopefully that doesn't help again. I do worry about communication on defense overall, because Paul and Crowder were big here (which also helped Ayton), and I think KD is very quiet and Beal has never been much of a defender, so we need a vocal defensive guy talking on the floor.

But he will overthink at times, and it will make him freeze, and then he plays worse overthinking things, loses confidence, and it hurts his game...hopefully he can avoid most of that which could result in fan boos as well.

But again, it's not like he's been the same player he was last year the previous 3 years. He was vastly improving on defense in years 2 and 3 and then on offense (shooting from inside the arc..among league's elite) that year. He was anchoring the defense in two of those years and giving us very efficient scoring in year 4...and far more consistent.

[matt131]

What do we think? Seems like these are the new jerseys for this year

Read on Twitter

?s=46

[bwgood77]

If these players and organization can't win it all this year they never will with Booker and/or Ayton.

yeah, this season will probably show us how strong the Suns curse is.

I don't know if not winning it all can be attributed to a curse when you're a +650 title odds team. Vegas gives them about a 1 in 6 chance of a chip. But that's still good odds, depending on the site either Denver or Boston are the favorites with about +400/450 odds.

This team should be good and a legit contender but this isn't the KD warriors or some juggernaut like that.
Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Yeah, even the favorites have better odds of losing it then winning it, and we have like the 3rd best odds, and huge injury concerns. Chances are we won't win it all, but if we stay healthy I think we may have as good of chance as anyway, barring the players not fitting well together or major regression from KD/Beal/Gordon and little contributions from the minimum guys.

[sashaturiaf]

Being professional…. A lesson DA needs to learn. Some say he doesnt complain, puts in his gym work, doesnt get into trouble/make headlines and claim he IS professional. Thats the bare minimum and it separates good from great.

All the rap on this kid is about his effort and his desire to win. Comes from external and internal observations. He must feel like the bottom of a dog pile as the criticism is coming from all angles. Former players, teammates, talking heads, front office, and fans all say the same thing in varying degrees of bluntness and delivery.

He might meltdown if he doesnt respond to the heat. Dont know if he has ever faced such a personal challenge as he appears to have had a lollypop put in his mouth from day one. The game has been easy for him, and his attitude reflects it. Guess its time for his first fitting of big boy pants now.

We sure need him to respond in a positive way and pick up the intensity. Vogel, Fizz, and Young gotta play some mind games on this Bahamian baby. I mean come on, how many times do we see he needs to get his touches to keep him engaged? $30+ mil per should be enough to do that eh?

This might not end well if he slow plays it continues to jack around.

This season is put up or shut up time for Ayton. Expectations are completely different now with Booker, KD and Beal here, all 3 being consummate professionals and focused on winning a championship. Vogel also strikes me as a no nonsense guy who won't be afraid to challenge players.

We've already seen Ishbia won't hesitate to make big moves, if the same old inconsistent moody Ayton comes back this season he's gone by the trade deadline, guaranteed.

People act like Ayton played like he did last year every year. As a rookie he had horrid defense but was playing instinctively and very good offensively for a rookie with 1 year college experience. Then his defense took major steps in years 2 and 3 and he looked better and better, and then in year 4 his offense took a major step. He was inconsistent but so is everyone.

This last year was different...some bad games here and there...what appeared to be motor issues at times, but our roster was also crap while we had like 7 players injured for long stretches so he was always playing with different players. It impacted Bridges as well for a long while.

If we are healthy, and with a fresh start, a training camp with new players, he should get better. He had a slow start shooting last year, so hopefully that doesn't help again. I do worry about communication on defense overall, because Paul and Crowder were big here (which also helped Ayton), and I think KD is very quiet and Beal has never been much of a defender, so we need a vocal defensive guy talking on the floor.

But he will overthink at times, and it will make him freeze, and then he plays worse overthinking things, loses confidence, and it hurts his game...hopefully he can avoid most of that which could result in fan boos as well.

But again, it's not like he's been the same player he was last year the previous 3 years. He was vastly improving on defense in years 2 and 3 and then on offense (shooting from inside the arc..among league's elite) that year. He was anchoring the defense in two of those years and giving us very efficient scoring in year 4...and far more consistent.

He's now the 4th option behind 3 guys who are all elite scorers. All he has to do is run the floor, crash the offensive boards and set some proper screens.

If Ayton still can't excel at his role now that it's so defined and simple, then you have to cut your losses and move on becuase he will never get it.

[MrMiyagi]

What do we think? Seems like these are the new jerseys for this year

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Kind of ugly

[matt131]

What do we think? Seems like these are the new jerseys for this year

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Kind of ugly

Yeah, I like the idea but they look half finished somehow.

Not sure why the league forced us from not being able to wear the valley jerseys again. Those were perfect.

[sashaturiaf]

What do we think? Seems like these are the new jerseys for this year

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Better than last season's bland away jerseys, but not as good as just using the OG throwback version.