Game 10: Phoenix Suns (6-3) @ Indiana Pacers (6-2) l Saturday l 5:00pm l FSNAZ

[Adrao]

I like the whole Saric as a backup 5 thing, but we are really small.We still lack athleticism in the front court outside of Ayton (some might say even including Ayton). Maybe Jalen was meant to fill this role. Not sure. Would love for him to get better soon (both ankle and COVID) so he can start practicing and getting some spot minutes. If he turns into a true 3 point threat who can guard the paint, he will be extremely useful off the bench.

Allthough we have seen few things about Jalen I missed him a lot today becasue I'm sure he can help Ayton a lot when the other team plays with a good PF in the paint. I missed him against Toronto and I did it today too.

[Adrao]

Mikal Bridges looking like a championship level 3rd option...Just have to find a #1 option level player now

Two seasons to do it, when CP3 contract ends we have the team and the money to get that #1 player. I consider Book a #2.

[Adrao]

Nice play Book

IMO his best game of the season. Really happy with this performance.

[sunsbg]

One of the more interesting games of the season so far because of the lack of big leads until the 4th.

Mikal breaking out confirmed.

Still found Booker hero-balling, no TOs though, so there is improvement. Ayton with fewest points amongst starters, but leading in +/- was also interesting.

[suns12345]

whether Ayton is afraid to get hurt is a very legit question, if his goal is all about getting that second and third contract then preserving his health should be the utmost priority to him and everything about his softness suddenly makes sense.

I've thought this (and im not as sour on ayton as most)

but i hurt myself a while ago playing and never recovered mentally/didnt want to take it hard to the rim or make overly agile/athletic moves.

but then i wasnt getting paid $10m to play either...

[Bogyo]

Mikal!

He has been compared to a lot of players, but how about the 2021 version of Dan Majerle? He was my favourite back then, and Mikal is quickly becoming a favourite now. Thunder Dan's stats from 90 to 95 will be (are) very similar to what we'll see from Mikal imho. Mikal is a better shooter, but a bit less of a scorer/driver and passer. He is a bit better on D thoug, he is more equipped with the Gadget arms.
Dan was also 3 time all star, with a couple Defensive 2nd teams. In his prime years with us from 90-95 he averaged about 16.5 points, 5 rebounds, 3,5 assists, 1,6 steals and 0,5 blocks, while being one of the best 3 point shooters and peremiter defenders in the league.

[Keith_myath]

for the record i am also extremely mad over Jones not picking Haliburton, he is this draft's Devin Booker and we passed on him, our backcourt would be set for the decade, Jalen Smith better be good.

That one is going to haunt us...ugh

Our guy has played 1 game and been injured with a minor injury and out with COVID protocols. Neither are long-lasting.

Going the very early crow, aren't you? Need I remind you of Michael Carter-Williams or Jahlil Okafor?

Smith will be a better pick n pop player than Saric and will be that big body that doesn't avoid contact in the paint. He's what we needed in the long term and Haliburton types are dime a dozen.

[Slim Charless]

Sure, but I expected us to take Ayton all along. That wasn't really a surprise.

Jalen Smith was out of nowhere. I want to buy in, and he's been okay at times (opening game vs DAL), but Tyrese is a rising star and was clearly a higher rated player on most draft boards. Just pain.

Ayton involved less risk, Luka could have very easily became Saric, they profiled very similarly. I understand the pick of Ayton, how many big men with his skills, even when we all claim he is halfazzing out there he still gives you all star stats. Haliburton is the best player available playing the position of need with very few red flags aside his shooting form, just like michael porter jr when these players fall you got to buy the dip like tsla at $380

the way Ayton is shaping up, he is becoming almost as unique a commodity as somebody like Luka in this league. Good defensive anchors are very rare these days, and the few that are out there (like Gobert, Adebayo and Turner) are not even close to being available to the Suns. if we did not draft Ayton, I'm pretty sure we would never be able to get somebody like that anytime soon. And I'm still not convinced that Luka would have been able to share the ball with Booker effectively, seeing how much usage he demands.

I dunno about you, but I'd sooner slit my wrists than have Alex Len be all we have in the middle.

Missed the game due to work but was following ESPN gamecast when I could. Have read the whole game thread and wanted to chime in and say ^^ this. Ayton isn't gonna be Luka. Gotta get past that. We do have a defensive monster who actually WANTS to be the best defender in the league. Thats a rarity nowadays.

As to the whole Haliburton thing. You can go find my posts pre draft and see that I was all over him. We didn't get him but if we had I hope you guys know we wouldn't be having the the Cam Payne experience now. There's no way Monty could play both of them big minutes and Cam (imo) is on his way to 6th MOTY.

So now we have that and hopefully a good 4. This is a slightly homerish take but Smith could be our Siakam- the good version. I'm stoked about the win tho since I, like a lot us thought we were in for a loss tonight. Great game and onto the Wiz.

[SunsRback4Good]

Ayton involved less risk, Luka could have very easily became Saric, they profiled very similarly. I understand the pick of Ayton, how many big men with his skills, even when we all claim he is halfazzing out there he still gives you all star stats. Haliburton is the best player available playing the position of need with very few red flags aside his shooting form, just like michael porter jr when these players fall you got to buy the dip like tsla at $380

the way Ayton is shaping up, he is becoming almost as unique a commodity as somebody like Luka in this league. Good defensive anchors are very rare these days, and the few that are out there (like Gobert, Adebayo and Turner) are not even close to being available to the Suns. if we did not draft Ayton, I'm pretty sure we would never be able to get somebody like that anytime soon. And I'm still not convinced that Luka would have been able to share the ball with Booker effectively, seeing how much usage he demands.

I dunno about you, but I'd sooner slit my wrists than have Alex Len be all we have in the middle.

Missed the game due to work but was following ESPN gamecast when I could. Have read the whole game thread and wanted to chime in and say ^^ this. Ayton isn't gonna be Luka. Gotta get past that. We do have a defensive monster who actually WANTS to be the best defender in the league. Thats a rarity nowadays.

As to the whole Haliburton thing. You can go find my posts pre draft and see that I was all over him. We didn't get him but if we had I hope you guys know we wouldn't be having the the Cam Payne experience now. There's no way Monty could play both of them big minutes and Cam (imo) is on his way to 6th MOTY.

So now we have that and hopefully a good 4. This is a slightly homerish take but Smith could be our Siakam- the good version. I'm stoked about the win tho since I, like a lot us thought we were in for a loss tonight. Great game and onto the Wiz.

Wow! I was watching Jalen Smith highlights a few hours ago and thought to myself his game looks a bit like Siakams does. I thought about posting on Jalen Smith thread but decided not to. Just crazy seeing him hit treys, mid rangers, go inside for putback dunks and block shots I immediately thought of Pascal while watching Smith's highlight.

[Slim Charless]

the way Ayton is shaping up, he is becoming almost as unique a commodity as somebody like Luka in this league. Good defensive anchors are very rare these days, and the few that are out there (like Gobert, Adebayo and Turner) are not even close to being available to the Suns. if we did not draft Ayton, I'm pretty sure we would never be able to get somebody like that anytime soon. And I'm still not convinced that Luka would have been able to share the ball with Booker effectively, seeing how much usage he demands.

I dunno about you, but I'd sooner slit my wrists than have Alex Len be all we have in the middle.

Missed the game due to work but was following ESPN gamecast when I could. Have read the whole game thread and wanted to chime in and say ^^ this. Ayton isn't gonna be Luka. Gotta get past that. We do have a defensive monster who actually WANTS to be the best defender in the league. Thats a rarity nowadays.

As to the whole Haliburton thing. You can go find my posts pre draft and see that I was all over him. We didn't get him but if we had I hope you guys know we wouldn't be having the the Cam Payne experience now. There's no way Monty could play both of them big minutes and Cam (imo) is on his way to 6th MOTY.

So now we have that and hopefully a good 4. This is a slightly homerish take but Smith could be our Siakam- the good version. I'm stoked about the win tho since I, like a lot us thought we were in for a loss tonight. Great game and onto the Wiz.

Wow! I was watching Jalen Smith highlights a few hours ago and thought to myself his game looks a bit like Siakams does. I thought about posting on Jalen Smith thread but decided not to. Just crazy seeing him hit treys, mid rangers, go inside for putback dunks and block shots I immediately thought of Pascal while watching Smith's highlight.

Monty found Cam Johnson when all of us, myself included hated the pick. I have faith. Siakam is obviously the best case scenario, but who knows. Let's see the kid play a few games.

[Qwigglez]

Missed the game due to work but was following ESPN gamecast when I could. Have read the whole game thread and wanted to chime in and say ^^ this. Ayton isn't gonna be Luka. Gotta get past that. We do have a defensive monster who actually WANTS to be the best defender in the league. Thats a rarity nowadays.

As to the whole Haliburton thing. You can go find my posts pre draft and see that I was all over him. We didn't get him but if we had I hope you guys know we wouldn't be having the the Cam Payne experience now. There's no way Monty could play both of them big minutes and Cam (imo) is on his way to 6th MOTY.

So now we have that and hopefully a good 4. This is a slightly homerish take but Smith could be our Siakam- the good version. I'm stoked about the win tho since I, like a lot us thought we were in for a loss tonight. Great game and onto the Wiz.

Wow! I was watching Jalen Smith highlights a few hours ago and thought to myself his game looks a bit like Siakams does. I thought about posting on Jalen Smith thread but decided not to. Just crazy seeing him hit treys, mid rangers, go inside for putback dunks and block shots I immediately thought of Pascal while watching Smith's highlight.

Monty found Cam Johnson when all of us, myself included hated the pick. I have faith. Siakam is obviously the best case scenario, but who knows. Let's see the kid play a few games.

I'm not sure if I'm correct on this assessment but I feel James Jones was behind the Bridges pick too. McD was all about taking the unknown player that oozes potential, while James Jones has shown he'd rather take more mature players who were in college for a few years. Is there anything on who really wanted Mikal Bridges in the draft?

[sasquatchBob]

Good game. Everyone played well. Happy for Bridges!

[NTB]

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=PhoenixSuns

[bigfoot]

Missed the game due to work but was following ESPN gamecast when I could. Have read the whole game thread and wanted to chime in and say ^^ this. Ayton isn't gonna be Luka. Gotta get past that. We do have a defensive monster who actually WANTS to be the best defender in the league. Thats a rarity nowadays.

As to the whole Haliburton thing. You can go find my posts pre draft and see that I was all over him. We didn't get him but if we had I hope you guys know we wouldn't be having the the Cam Payne experience now. There's no way Monty could play both of them big minutes and Cam (imo) is on his way to 6th MOTY.

So now we have that and hopefully a good 4. This is a slightly homerish take but Smith could be our Siakam- the good version. I'm stoked about the win tho since I, like a lot us thought we were in for a loss tonight. Great game and onto the Wiz.

Wow! I was watching Jalen Smith highlights a few hours ago and thought to myself his game looks a bit like Siakams does. I thought about posting on Jalen Smith thread but decided not to. Just crazy seeing him hit treys, mid rangers, go inside for putback dunks and block shots I immediately thought of Pascal while watching Smith's highlight.

Monty found Cam Johnson when all of us, myself included hated the pick. I have faith. Siakam is obviously the best case scenario, but who knows. Let's see the kid play a few games.

Really what sophomores are producing as well as Cam Johnson. So far out of his class he is:

Top 5 in points
Number 1 in made three-pointers
Top 6 in blocks
Top 15 in rebounds
Top 10 in steals
Number 1 in free throw percentage

Obviously Zion and Morant are better but Cam's not getting starter minutes either at 23 minutes per game.

JJ found a gem ... I'm not worried about Jalen Smith because WE HAVE A REAL CULTURE NOW

[SuperSunsFan]

Problem with jalen smith is what are the odds that Jones could hit the jack pot twice? If Jones is another gem we lose Jones next summer, someone will pay him big money to get him and Sarver will just let him go.

[bigfoot]

Problem with jalen smith is what are the odds that Jones could hit the jack pot twice? If Jones is another gem we lose Jones next summer, someone will pay him big money to get him and Sarver will just let him go.

I think most of the fan base agrees that Sarver is money motivated. Fortunately, he is a smart businessman and has to recognize the value of the Suns franchise increases when the team is winning. He will pay James Jones because it is an investment that will produce huge dividends. The value of the Suns could increase by $600M to $800M in just a year or two. That is something he can't pass up.

[bwgood77]

Nice play Book

IMO his best game of the season. Really happy with this performance.

Yeah, the best part was no turnovers. Maybe his best defensive game too.

[Slim Charless]

Wow! I was watching Jalen Smith highlights a few hours ago and thought to myself his game looks a bit like Siakams does. I thought about posting on Jalen Smith thread but decided not to. Just crazy seeing him hit treys, mid rangers, go inside for putback dunks and block shots I immediately thought of Pascal while watching Smith's highlight.

Monty found Cam Johnson when all of us, myself included hated the pick. I have faith. Siakam is obviously the best case scenario, but who knows. Let's see the kid play a few games.

I'm not sure if I'm correct on this assessment but I feel James Jones was behind the Bridges pick too. McD was all about taking the unknown player that oozes potential, while James Jones has shown he'd rather take more mature players who were in college for a few years. Is there anything on who really wanted Mikal Bridges in the draft?

Yeah. JJ was definitely had a major role. I didn’t add him cause of dumbness. My own. Point remains though that the Suns found him and hopefully found something special in Smith.

[Slim Charless]

Problem with jalen smith is what are the odds that Jones could hit the jack pot twice? If Jones is another gem we lose Jones next summer, someone will pay him big money to get him and Sarver will just let him go.

I think most of the fan base agrees that Sarver is money motivated. Fortunately, he is a smart businessman and has to recognize the value of the Suns franchise increases when the team is winning. He will pay James Jones because it is an investment that will produce huge dividends. The value of the Suns could increase by $600M to $800M in just a year or two. That is something he can't pass up.

This. I still dream of the day I wake up, check RealGM and see that Elon or Jeff bezos is interested in buying us. Dreaming is still free.

[lilfishi22]

At this point, we’ll find more peace accepting Ayton for who he is, then getting angry at who he isn’t. Yeah, sure he is a 1st overall pick, blah blah whatever, but its best to just get over it.

All fine and dandy but that's different to having little expectations and just being happy/at peace with whatever he gives you.

Yeah he's not#1 pick material but he's still an NBA player, an NBA player with the physical attributes to do simple things like taking it hard to the rim to draw fouls or get an And1. Same way we get frustrated about Booker's turnovers, bad Point Book possession or Bridges being too tentative the last few years, you don't need to have the #1 pick label to have reasonable expectations from a player. I think taking it hard to the rim are reasonable expectations from a guy with his size, strength and athleticism.