<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-player-who-will-shock-nba-with-breakout-2024-25-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-player-who-will-shock-NBA-with-breakout-2024-25-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T20:45:30-07:00">October 14th, 8:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T20:45:30-07:00">October 14th, 8:45pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Overall, the 2023-24 season was a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kevin-durant-puts-online-dummies-full-blast">disappointment for the Phoenix Suns</a>. They most certainly did not envision getting swept in the first round of the playoffs in Kevin Durant’s first full season in the Valley, especially after remaking the team with the additions of Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, and Grayson Allen.</p><p>Time is not on the Suns’ side in their aim to finally break through and win a championship. Durant is still playing at a high level, but he’s already 36 years of age, while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-bradley-beal-bold-1-seed-take-injury-riddled-season">Beal’s injury problems</a> are only going to be more concerning the older he gets. They also do not have control of their first-round picks until 2031, which makes it more imperative that they rack up the wins and at least mount a deep playoff run — a tall order in the loaded Western Conference.</p><p>All the Suns can hope for now as they look to round the roster out with quality players to avoid running into the same depth problems that they’ve encountered over the past two seasons is to unearth a diamond in the rough. They have little to no avenues to do so considering their <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/teams/suns/24/draft-picks" rel="noopener">lack of draft assets,</a> so they will have to make every lottery ticket of theirs count.</p><p>And in preseason, the Suns appear to have struck gold on Ryan Dunn — a player who looks like he’ll be a fixture of the rotation for years to come.</p><h2><b>Did the Suns just unearth the next Mikal Bridges in Ryan Dunn?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-forward-Ryan-Dunn-0-controls-the-ball.jpg"></figure><p>As seen in the behind-the-scenes footage the Suns social media team posted earlier in the offseason, they specifically targeted Ryan Dunn with their late first-round pick (at pick 22). But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-phoenix-reveals-behind-the-scenes-footage-of-2024-nba-draft-night">they were confident</a> that Dunn would be there at a later pick, so they made the shrewd move of trading with the Denver Nuggets to move back six picks while bringing in three additional draft assets. Dunn, indeed, was still on the board by the time the 28th pick of the draft rolled along.</p><p>In this Suns team, they don’t exactly need players who can fill the scoring column. They have their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal to take care of the scoring load, with Grayson Allen still around to grease the wheels offensively. They needed someone who can <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-rookies-fearlessness-elevating-team-morale">infuse the team with athleticism</a> and two-way contributions, and Dunn appears primed to do just that.</p><p>Performances during preseason games don’t seamlessly translate to when the games actually count on the win-loss tally. But Dunn didn’t just rack up stats for the Suns during their 118-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, he also passed the eye test with flying colors.</p><p>Dunn has been flying all over the place in preseason, unafraid to take on the opposing player’s best perimeter player on defense. He has been active on the glass as well, and his body language is screaming that he’s ready to contribute for the Suns as soon as opening night.</p><p>The 21-year-old wing was drafted by the Suns for his defensive contributions, so for him to show off on this end of the court this early in his career is a good sign that James Jones and company have indeed gotten themselves a potential long-term contributor. His offensive game, however, was a work in progress.</p><p>During his two seasons in Virginia, Dunn made just 12 of his 51 three-point attempts for a grand percentage of 23.5 percent. That simply won’t cut it for an NBA wing. Opposing teams will simply allow Dunn to let it fly, as inducing a shot from him instead of from the Suns’ more gifted offensive players is already a huge win in and of itself.</p><p>But Dunn showed on Sunday night that he has been hard at work on his jumpshot. It’s one thing if Dunn made just two or three triples. That already is a sign of progress. But he went out and made six of his 11 three-point attempts on the night — ending their win over the Nuggets as the Suns’ leading scorer.</p><p>His jumpshot was quick and his shooting stroke was smooth. He was catching and shooting with unabashed confidence, whether it was from above-the-break or from the corners. He also showed some guile off the dribble, and he thrived as a connective piece, racking up four assists as well on Sunday night.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Little did everyone expect that Dunn’s offensive game would come around this soon. Now, he is a rookie, and he will be prone to the occasional off-night. But if he can make enough of his open shots, it will be hard for Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer to keep him off the floor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-kevin-durant-puts-online-dummies-full-blast');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Kevin Durant puts ‘online dummies’ on full blast');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-news-Kevin-Durant-puts-online-dummies-on-full-blast.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Kevin Durant puts ‘online dummies’ on full blast</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T10:11:30-07:00">October 14th, 10:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T10:11:30-07:00">October 14th, 10:11am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant rarely shies away from smoke on social media. The outspoken superstar is known to put NBA players and fans alike in their place when he deems it necessary. The Suns head into the upcoming season with underwhelming expectations, except for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kendrick-perkins-phoenix-championship-dark-horse">Kendrick Perkins, who labeled the 2024-25 Suns his darkhorse</a> championship contender for the forthcoming season. However, that didn’t prevent Durant from <a href="https://x.com/KDTrey5/status/1845842014925111790" rel="noopener">calling out</a> online “dummies” on his X, formerly known as Twitter, platform.</p><p>“Sometimes I wake up and look at TheNBACentel comments just to truly see how many dummies come online thinking that they have high iq,” Durant said. “Good morning.”</p><p>Durant’s vitriol didn’t stop there. When someone replied to KD’s post, calling the 16-time All-Star “bitter” while helping TheNBACentel’s parody account increase engagement by acknowledging its content, Durant <a href="https://x.com/KDTrey5/status/1845849577913733139" rel="noopener">lashed back</a> at the social media user.</p><p>“I must’ve made this dude mad 8 years ago, and he’s still in his feelings,” Durant quipped. “The nba season is upon us.”</p><h2><b>Anonymous NBA GM says Kevin Durant, Suns are the team to beat in the West</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-superstar-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There is no confirmation as to which post from the parody account Kevin Durant was alluding to in his initial comments on social media, as there was no mention of Durant or the Suns in any of their posts beforehand. While many have overlooked Phoenix’s offseason additions as significant, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kendrick-perkins-gets-shredded-bizarre-mason-plumlee-suns-take">other NBA analysts keep an eye on the Suns</a>. In an attempt to perhaps bait KD into a reaction, the NBACentel account posted a quote from an anonymous NBA GM, NBA insider Mark Medina, naming the Suns <a href="https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-i-go-boston-celtics-they-deserve-favorites-nba-executives-2025-champions-west-contenders-exclusive?utm_content=buffer18f62&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" rel="noopener">the best team in the Western Conference</a>.</p><p>“The team to beat in the West is Phoenix, believe it or not. I think their top-end talent is just ready to make a move,” Medina said. “KD [Kevin Durant] and Book [Devin Booker] are really, really good. They had an outlier year last year with trying to get everything working together. I think [Mike] Budenholzer and Tyus Jones are great additions. I think they will figure out a way to use some draft compensation and [Jusuf] Nurkić contract to get even better [in a trade].”</p><p>It’ll be interesting to see how the Suns fare against the returning Western Conference champion Mavericks, the Timberwolves, the Thunder, and the rest of the conference’s upper-echelon teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Kevin Durant puts ‘online dummies’ on full blast

1 fatal flaw each NBA team must fix heading into 2024-25 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-bradley-beal-need-program-himself');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bradley Beal sounds off on need to ‘program’ himself');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-news-Bradley-Beal-sounds-off-on-need-to-program-himself.jpg"></figure><h1>Bradley Beal sounds off on need to ‘program’ himself</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T02:21:53-07:00">October 14th, 2:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T02:21:53-07:00">October 14th, 2:21am</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns are embarking on a new chapter with Head Coach Mike Budenholzer at the helm, and he is already implementing some minor changes. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-bradley-beal-respectful-admission-washington-front-office">Star guard Bradley Beal</a> noted that Budenholzer is encouraging the team to adopt a more aggressive approach, which has required some adjustment.</p><p>“I’m trying to program myself to just be more aggressive. “Bud is forcin’ me to do that. He’s forcin’ all of us to be like that, like shoot more 3s, look to shoot, look to be aggressive,” Beal remarked.</p><p>The Suns were one of the most underwhelming teams in the NBA last season, resulting in the termination of former head coach Frank Vogel.</p><h2><b>Mike Budenholzer encouraging the Phoenix Suns to be more aggressive</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bradley-Beal-with-the-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“It’s different in a lot of ways, so we’re all tryna kinda program ourselves to stop passin’ up shots, be more mindful of shootin’ 3s. I shot a stepback 2 at the top of the key, and I was mad. I’m like, ‘S—, if I take one more step back, it’s a 3.’ So, it’s just tryna get that mindset back, but I think just bein’ more aggressive helps me in that fashion,” he<a href="https://www.twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1845208381939663152" rel="noopener"> continued via a video from</a> Gerald Bourguet of Fansided.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It's preseason, but so far the Suns are tied for 3rd in the NBA in 3PAs, at 44 per game. Bradley Beal talked about making that mental adjustment: "I'm trying to program myself to be more aggressive. Bud is forcing me to do that. He's forcing all of us to be like that." <a href="https://t.co/1NRkCkqdoh">pic.twitter.com/1NRkCkqdoh</a></p><p>— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1845208381939663152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Suns entered the season with major goals after assembling a star trio of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, but the team only won 49 games in the regular season before being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>Now, as Phoenix embarks on its second season with the star trio of Beal, Booker, and Durant, the expectation is that Budenholzer can harness their talents and lead the team to reach its full potential.</p><p>Booker led the Suns to the NBA Finals during the 2020-21 season, and he aims to return to that level with Beal and Durant as his teammates. Phoenix is still on the quest for its first championship in franchise history.</p><h2><b>The Suns hoping for more success this season</b></h2><p>Players like Beal, Booker, and Durant will need to share the ball, but Budenholzer encourages them to be assertive in their shooting. Last season, Booker averaged the most shots per game among the trio, followed by Durant and Beal.</p><p>The Suns’ success extends beyond their Big 3, and Budenholzer’s message likely resonates with the entire roster. To become serious contenders for the championship, Phoenix will need its supporting cast to step up and support the stars this season.</p><p>The Suns will kick off their regular season on October 23 against the Los Angeles Clippers, providing fans with their first glimpse of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-mike-budenholzer-2-time-nba-champion-from-spurs-front-office">how Budenholzer will implement his strategies</a> in a game that counts for Phoenix.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bradley Beal sounds off on need to ‘program’ himself

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-rookies-fearlessness-elevating-team-morale');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns rookies’ ‘fearlessness’ elevating team morale');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-news-Phoenix-rookies-fearlessness-elevating-team-morale.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns rookies’ ‘fearlessness’ elevating team morale</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-13T21:14:23-07:00">October 13th, 9:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-13T21:14:23-07:00">October 13th, 9:14pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns have embarked on a 2-1 record in the preseason, with a chunk of the production coming from the Suns rookies, Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro. For starters, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-draft-grade-every-first-round-pick-trade">Dunn was the Suns’ first-round choice</a>. The following round, they took a local high school and Marquette University standout in Ighodaro. </p><p>In the Summer League, they showed flashes of potential. After all, Dunn was viewed as a 3-and-D player coming out of the University of Virginia. Most importantly, he was thought of as someone who could lock down the opposing team’s best scorer while spacing the floor. </p><p>With Ighodaro, he was a paint beast—someone who owned both sides of the ball with his athleticism, physicality, and basketball IQ. In one game against the Sacramento Kings, he had <a href="https://www.nba.com/player/1642345/oso-ighodaro" rel="noopener">four points, nine assists, five rebounds and a block</a>. </p><p>On the other hand, Dunn struggled in the Summer League, making one three out of his 13 attempts. As a result, questions about his role and production on a deep Suns team surfaced. However, once the preseason kicked off, any seeds of doubt were uprooted immediately.</p><h2><b>How did Ryan Dunn make his impact on the Suns?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-rookie-Ryan-Dunn-showed-out-in-Tuesdays-preseason-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Dale Young-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Through three games, Dunn is shooting 6-for-16 from three. He’s also made some highlight plays, especially during Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. He stripped Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and then hit a transition three. Dunn spoke with AZCentral’s Duane Rankin <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/1844579436550640014" rel="noopener">after that breakthrough game</a> but didn’t get too ahead of himself.</p><p>“It’s still only two games… I know everybody what everyone is trying to say but it’s a whole season,” Dunn said.</p><p>Well, his teammate Kevin Durant had some words for Dunn throughout the game. Dunn said, “If Kevin Durant says shoot, let it go.”</p><p>After Dunn talked about his game, Durant continued with what he told the rookie and said “We’re going to need them to develop fast.”</p><p>Although it’s a small sample size, it seems that Dunn and Ighodaro have put the veterans on notice. Even Tyus Jones mentioned in training camp that the bench and starters played two scrimmages and <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/1844479405906854079" rel="noopener">each one took away a victory</a>. Still, the 6’8 wing has plenty of upside that general manager James Jones saw from the beginning. </p><p>Despite the rough showing in the Summer League, Jones sees something special. He saw a characteristic that Dunn might’ve not had a couple of months prior. </p><p>“I see fearlessness,” Jones said during Thursday’s practice. “Taking the shots with 100% confidence, playing defense aggressively, not flinching. So that’s huge, especially as a rookie.”</p><h2><b>Oso Ighodaro has his Suns’ teammates on notice.</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-rookie-Oso-Ighodaro-impressing-teammates-early-on.jpg"><figcaption>© David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As Jones went through the draft process, he laid eyes on Ighodaro. The Marquette forward averaged <a href="https://gomarquette.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/oso-ighodaro/7372" rel="noopener">13.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks</a> in his final season. One of the most impressive facets of Ighodaro’s game is his passing, especially as a center. He’s been excellent on designated handoffs, cuts to the basket, and give-and-go’s with his guards. Suns guard Bradley Beal took special exception after Ighodaro fed him the ball in a way he hadn’t seen before.</p><p>“I know bigs that’s been in the league 10 years who can’t do that,” Beal said following the Suns’ 105-97 win. “Just catch it in the pocket, take your time, and look (to the) weak side.”</p><p>Ighodaro adds another layer to a deep center position. The Suns already have Jusuf Nurkic, Mason Plumlee and Bol Bol in that position. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-how-jusuf-nurkic-injury-limits-continuity">Nurkic sustained a finger injury</a> that opened Ighodaro’s opportunity for an increased workload. His athleticism, IQ and attention of his star teammates could push him into a solid spot in the rotation.</p><p>It’s also caught the attention of head coach Mike Budenholzer. He talked about what the rookies have earned throughout the past two weeks of practice.</p><p>“How they’re earning their teammates’ respect, earn their coaches’ respect,” Budenholzer said during Thursday’s media availability. “There’s a competitiveness, there’s an openness to learning and to asking questions.<br><br>“The work ethic, all the things I think the veterans look for in their young guys, I think these guys have it. It carries over to the court. At the end of the day, you have to go out and play. You have to malte plays, defensively, offensively.”</p><p>As the Suns have one more preseason game before the regular season, the rookies should continue to impress. Before people might know it, Dunn and Ighodaro could have impactful minutes within the rotation.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns rookies’ ‘fearlessness’ elevating team morale

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-monte-morris-teases-friendly-feud-devin-booker');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Monte Morris teases friendly feud with Devin Booker');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Monte-Morris-teases-friendly-feud-with-Devin-Booker.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Monte Morris teases friendly feud with Devin Booker</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T11:20:15-07:00">October 11th, 11:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T11:20:15-07:00">October 11th, 11:20am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Phoenix Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-add-backcourt-depth-behind-booker-sign-monte-morris">added more depth with Monte Morris</a> signing in free agency, it reignited a friendly rivalry between him and Devin Booker. During Thursday’s shootaround, Morris explained to reporters that if there was any trash talk about the previous two playoff series he and Booker played against each other.</p><p>“I left that in 2021… that wasn’t too good,” Morris said, chuckling. “I can’t even talk about that. It’s all fun and games. When I first got here, we brought it up, bickering back and forth but he was like, ‘Yeah, we swept y’all,’ and I’m like, ‘We slept y’all last year too.’ We go back and forth, but it’s love to be on the same side.”</p><p>In 2021, the Suns eliminated the Denver Nuggets with a 4-0 series sweep. In that series, Booker averaged <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/devin-booker-stats-vs-nuggets-playoffs-2021" rel="noopener">25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists</a> in four games. On the flip side, Morris averaged <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2021-nba-western-conference-semifinals-nuggets-vs-suns.html" rel="noopener">11.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and five assists</a> while only starting in one game.</p><h2>Monte Morris got his revenge on Devin Booker and the Suns</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-Monte-Morris-teases-friendly-feud-with-Devin-Booker-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Fast forward three years, it was the inverse. Morris joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and faced the Suns in the first round. This time, Morris and his squad had the upper hand on his current team. Booker still played great, averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2024-nba-western-conference-first-round-suns-vs-timberwolves.html" rel="noopener">27.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and six assists</a> while playing 41.5 minutes per game. Despite the superstar performance, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-most-to-blame-for-embarrassing-playoff-sweep-at-hands-of-timberwolves">Suns were ultimately swept</a>.</p><p>Morris didn’t see much playing time like he did in 2021, as he only played 9.7 minutes per game. Regardless, the Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they were knocked out by the Dallas Mavericks. Uncertainty loomed large as the Suns Big 3 seemed to take down any possible team. However, signing Morris and also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-tyus-jones-major-factor-join-suns">acquiring Tyus Jones</a> helps with having the offense run smoothly.</p><p>As Morris reflected on that series and playing against Booker, he’s glad they’re joining forces and not going against each other.</p><p>“He’s just a competitor, bro,” Morris said. “Book is a guy who always wants to win. He’s chippy, he talked trash and he backed it up. I’m just happy I’m on his side with him this time.”</p><p>The Suns are set to take on the Detroit Pistons on Friday, after facing off on Tuesday. In that game, Morris made his impact with the second unit. He and rookie Oso Ighodaro dominated the pick-and-roll all game long. Also, Morris had some time running the floor with Booker. That sight is one that Suns fans can look to enjoy more of throughout the preseason and into the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Monte Morris teases friendly feud with Devin Booker

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-sneaky-offseason-move-that-surprised-everybody');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ sneaky offseason move that surprised everybody');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-sneaky-offseason-move-that-will-surprise-everybody.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ sneaky offseason move that surprised everybody</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T09:58:47-07:00">October 11th, 9:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T09:58:47-07:00">October 11th, 9:58am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns participated in one of the most sneaky offseason moves that surprised everybody. After a disappointing playoff exit, questions circulated about Phoenix needing a point guard. Luckily, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-tyus-jones-agrees-to-3-3-million-contract">Suns signed Tyus Jones</a> to a one-year, $3.3 million contract. It wasn’t even the fact that they signed Jones, it was how little they paid to get him. Head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-mike-budenholzer-grayson-allen-tyus-jones-free-agency">Mike Budenholzer and Grayson Allen even helped</a> acquire Jones, who was sought after by many contending teams.</p><p>However, NBA general managers have a different idea. When asked about what was the most underrated player acquisition, they listed Jones as <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2024-25-nba-gm-survey" rel="noopener">the third most underrated signing</a>. He tied with Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein with 13% of the total votes. Ahead of Jones was the Orlando Magic signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (17%) and the Thunder acquiring Alex Caruso (23%).</p><p>While the Hartenstein, Caldwell-Pope, and Caruso acquisitions make sense, Jones is adding something Phoenix missed as soon as Chris Paul left town — a true point guard. The Suns Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal worked when they were on the floor. Despite this, the offense looked clunky at times.</p><p>Part of this could be due to the previous head coach Frank Vogel’s system. Some of it could be the lack of playing time. Or it could be due to a lack of a true playmaker and facilitator. All of this led to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-most-to-blame-for-embarrassing-playoff-sweep-at-hands-of-timberwolves">Suns exiting the first round</a> of the NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>For the Suns, Tyus Jones is as close to Chris Paul as it’ll get. His efficiency with the ball in his hands is historic. For three seasons, he had the best assist-to-turnover ratio. In 2018-19, he had a 6.96, in 2021-22, he had a 7.04, and finally in 2023-24 with a 7.35. Before last season, Jones wasn’t a full-time starter.</p><p>He came off the bench and started when players were not playing. In nine of his 23 games started, he <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jonesty01/gamelog/2022" rel="noopener">didn’t allow a single turnover</a>. Also in these games, Jones was playing 20 or more minutes. The newest Suns guard averaged <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jonesty01.html" rel="noopener">12 points, 7.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and only 1.3 turnovers</a> per game with the Washington Wizards while also playing a career-high 29.3 minutes. His minutes could continue to see an uptick for Phoenix this season.</p><h2><b>NBA GMs are too low on how valuable the offseason Tyus Jones signing is for the Suns</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-Tyus-Jones-ranked-as-the-third-most-underrated-signing.jpg"><figcaption>© David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In the first two preseason games, Jones’s impact on the Suns offseason is already felt. As one of the primary ball-handlers, he’s initiating the offense seamlessly. The Big 3 everyone envisioned appeared on full display against the Detroit Pistons. The scoring was spread out and the ball consistently didn’t touch the ground once it crossed half-court. Players were moving without the ball, setting screens for one another, and freeing each other up.</p><p>Part of the successful ball movement. Simultaneously, it’s the players running the offense too. Now this isn’t saying that Booker, Beal, or Durant can’t run the offense. However, those three are such natural scorers and some of the best in the league. Someone like Jones takes those playmaking responsibilities away momentarily. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Loved this pass from Tyus Jones to the cutting Kevin Durant. <br><br>These are the little things this team was missing last season. <a href="https://t.co/0zfDKhHa9a">pic.twitter.com/0zfDKhHa9a</a></p>— Zona (@AZSportsZone) <a href="https://twitter.com/AZSportsZone/status/1843874610938556872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote></figure><p>Jones isn’t the flashiest player. He won’t amaze anyone with dunks, athleticism, or shooting the ball from another state. He does know how to efficiently run an offense, much less as a successful one. After all, Jones did play on the 2015 Duke Blue Devils and won a National Championship with his now teammate, Allen. The one-and-done Blue Devil posted <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/tyus-jones-1/gamelog/2015" rel="noopener">23 points and five made threes</a> in that championship game. His ability to step up in crucial moments can help ease the pressure off the Suns Big 3.</p><h2>Why did NBA general managers downplay the Suns signing Tyus Jones?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Suns-made-a-sneaky-move-signing-Tyus-Jones-in-free-agency.jpg"><figcaption>© Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The signings of Caruso, Caldwell-Pope, and Hartenstein are all impactful in their own right. The Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the 2024 NBA Playoffs but were missing a couple of clear pieces. They needed someone like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-big-splash-isaiah-hartenstein-87-million-contract">Hartenstein to crash the boards</a> consistently.</p><p>He was a key contributor for a New York Knicks that could have gone to the Eastern Conference Finals had it not been for a Jalen Brunson season-ending injury. Although Thunder center Chet Holmgren played well, he <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/centers-stats-vs-chet-holmgren" rel="noopener">struggled to play against bigger centers</a> like Karl-Anthony Towns or Nikola Jokic. </p><p>Guards like Caruso and Caldwell-Pope add a dimension of three-point shooting, perimeter defense, and sneaky athleticism. Both players can throw down a highlight reel dunk from time to time. Also, Caruso and Caldwell-Pope are NBA champions, so their experience is vital for teams like the Thunder and Magic looking to make that push.</p><p>While Jones isn’t an NBA champion, he brings vital experience. As mentioned earlier, he’s stepped up as a starter. Even though he played on a bad Wizards team, he was a shining light. The Suns’ offseason could highlight Jones as one of the missing pieces to propel the franchise back to Finals contention and possibly the first NBA championship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ sneaky offseason move that surprised everybody

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kevin-durants-classic-nike-kd-4-sees-new-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevin Durant’s classic Nike KD 4 sees new update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kevin-Durants-classic-Nike-KD-4-sees-new-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant’s classic Nike KD 4 sees new update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T15:40:15-07:00">October 10th, 3:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T15:40:36-07:00">October 10th, 3:40pm</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns’ star Kevin Durant has been one of the most influential basketball stars of our generation and has made a massive impact with sponsor Nike through his soon-to-be 18 signature sneakers within their basketball line. None may have been more influential, however, than the Nike KD 4 and come next year, we’ll see a first-time colorway on the iconic silhouette.</p><p><i><b>Check our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers">Sneakers news</a> for more upcoming releases and breaking content!</b></i></p><p>The Nike KD 4 first released in December 2011 and marked a huge leap in growth for Durant’s signature line. Kevin Durant averaged 28 points and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first-ever NBA Finals, so his quick takeover of the league could have had something to do with it.</p><p>Releasing in numerous colorways throughout the early 2010’s, the Nike KD 4 has seen a resurrection in today’s age as Nike works to bring back some of their classic basketball models. We’ll see a “Hyper Royal” colorway don the sneakers for the first time ever.</p><h2>Nike KD 4 “Hyper Royal”</h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">FIRST LOOK: Nike KD 4 "Hyper Royal" 💙</p><p>MORE INFO:  <a href="https://t.co/QwAy2HctxE">https://t.co/QwAy2HctxE</a> <a href="https://t.co/oe7WDMHR9q">pic.twitter.com/oe7WDMHR9q</a></p><p>— Sneaker Bar Detroit (@SBDetroit) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBDetroit/status/1844077092591501677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While yet to be officially confirmed, the “Hyper Royal” colorway is set to feature a vibrant blue, metallic hue over the upper of the classic sneakers. The shoes will feature a white mesh underlay to complement the patented white strap across the mid foot. A gradient white-to-blue effect is featured on the midsole and fades into the Hyper Royal outsole.</p><p>Finer details reveal a scaled pattern across the toebox as well as raised jewel textures throughout both Nike Swooshes. Both logos will feature a gold trim, creating a nice balance of counteracting colors throughout this pair. It’s safe to say Nike did a fine job with these and they should increase in popularity given the rare nature of the shoes themselves.</p><p>There’s still no word on an official release from Nike, but expect this pair to drop sometime during the spring of 2025. They’re expected to come with a standard retail tag of $150 and should be made available on <a href="http://nike.com">Nike SNKRS app</a> come release day.</p><p>How many pairs of the Nike KD 4 do you have in your stash?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant’s classic Nike KD 4 sees new update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-kendrick-perkins-phoenix-championship-dark-horse');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kendrick Perkins selects Suns as championship ‘dark horse’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kendrick-Perkins-selects-Phoenix-as-championship-dark-horse.jpg"></figure><h1>Kendrick Perkins selects Suns as championship ‘dark horse’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T14:55:55-07:00">October 9th, 2:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T14:55:55-07:00">October 9th, 2:55pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-bradley-beal-bold-1-seed-take-injury-riddled-season">Phoenix Suns are not lacking for confidence</a> heading into the 2024-25 NBA season despite last season’s sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kevin-durant-identifies-issue-must-address">Kevin Durant knows that the team still has some tuning up to do</a>, it appears that overall, things are looking quite optimistic out in the desert.</p><p>One person who agrees with that perspective is former NBA big man and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who recently took to ESPN’s NBA Today to give <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1844095985883959396" rel="noopener">a huge endorsement</a> of what the Suns have in store for this upcoming campaign.</p><p>“They are my dark horse to win it all,” said Perkins, via NBA on ESPN on X, formerly Twitter. “We saw a disgruntled, unhappy Kevin Durant average 27 points last year, and he wasn’t seeing eye to eye with Frank Vogel. Now he’s coming in, fresh start, fresh off of winning a gold medal. We saw the joy that he was playing with. Now he has Mike Budenholzer over there… Bradley Beal is happy. We saw how great that Devin Booker looked in the Olympics. And they filled in the pieces.”</p><h2><b>Can the Suns turn it around?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Durant-during-preseason.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As Kendrick Perkins referenced in his soliloquy, the Suns did indeed bring in former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer this offseason after firing Frank Vogel, who was unable to make the Suns’ severely top heavy roster work during his lone season at the helm.</p><p>Budenholzer won a championship with the Bucks in 2021 but saw his in-game decision making called into question over the ensuing two postseasons.</p><p>Meanwhile, Durant proved at the Olympics that he still has plenty left in the tank, and has continued to show as much during the first couple of games of preseason action.</p><p>The Suns did lose some depth this offseason in the form of Eric Gordon but do have the added benefit of having a full offseason of work for their star trio of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.</p><p>It’s unclear at this point how Budenholzer plans to utilize this three-headed snake on offense in a way that they don’t cancel out each other’ strengths, as they so often seemed to throughout the course of last season.</p><p>In any case, the Suns’ 2024-25 season is slated to begin on October 23 on the road vs the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns will then stay in the City of Angels for a matchup with the Lakers two nights later.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kendrick Perkins selects Suns as championship ‘dark horse’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kendrick-perkins-gets-shredded-bizarre-mason-plumlee-suns-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kendrick Perkins gets shredded for bizarre Mason Plumlee-Suns take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kendrick-Perkins-gets-shredded-for-bizarre-Mason-Plumlee-Suns-take.jpg"></figure><h1>Kendrick Perkins gets shredded for bizarre Mason Plumlee-Suns take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T14:41:27-07:00">October 9th, 2:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T15:50:31-07:00">October 9th, 3:50pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is catching flak for his take on Mason Plumlee and the 2024-25 Phoenix Suns. Despite veteran guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bradley-beals-eye-opening-claim-suns-rookies-hype-fans">Bradley Beal overhyping the Suns’ incoming rookies</a> last week, it isn’t easy to gauge what to expect from superstars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Beal, and the Suns after the Minnesota Timberwolves swept them in last year’s playoffs. Phoenix is far removed from the championship-contending team it once was. However, Perkins gives them the benefit of the doubt heading into the upcoming regular season.</p><p>On a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Perkins talked about how the Suns’ superstar trio will get the most from their free agent signing in Plumlee and how the veteran will <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1844095985883959396" rel="noopener">make his presence felt</a> on both ends of the floor.</p><p>“This guy [Mason] Plumlee. He is so valuable to this team,” Perkins said. “Every single team he’s been on, he’s moved the goalpost on both ends of the floor.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The [Phoenix Suns] are my darkhorse to win it all." 🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KendrickPerkins</a> has high expectations for KD and Book in the West this season 😤 <a href="https://t.co/KNz3r6CKej">pic.twitter.com/KNz3r6CKej</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1844095985883959396?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-add-recent-clippers-big-man-in-free-agency">Suns signed Plumlee to a one-year, $3.3 million contract</a> over the summer.</p><h2><b>Kendrick Perkins says no one is afraid of champion Celtics</b></h2><p>ESPN analyst <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-kendrick-perkins-pours-cold-water-back-to-back-pursuit">Kendrick Perkins doesn’t believe Celtics can win back-to-back</a> championships in 2025. However, the Suns’ Plumlee signing, coupled with Durant winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics and adding former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, who guided the Bucks to an NBA title in 2021, <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1844095985883959396" rel="noopener">are contributing factors</a> to Perkins picking the Suns as the team to look out for in the West.</p><p>“They’re [Suns] my darkhorse to win it all,” Perkins said. “We saw a disgruntled Kevin Durant average 27 points last year, and he wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with Frank Vogel. Now, he’s coming in fresh off winning the gold medal. We saw the joy that he was playing with. Now, he has Mike Budenholzer over there. Mike Budenholzer is coming in with something to prove, felt like he shouldn’t have been fired from the Milwaukee Bucks. Bradley Beal is happy. We saw how great Devin Booker looked in the Olympics, and they filled in the pieces.”</p><p>After beating the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers in their preseason opener, the Suns are 2-0 and hosting the Pistons for a rematch on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kendrick Perkins gets shredded for bizarre Mason Plumlee-Suns take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-devin-booker-dissed-nba-gms-favor-anthony-edwards');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Devin Booker dissed in favor of Anthony Edwards by NBA GMs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Devin-Booker-dissed-in-favor-of-Anthony-Edwards-by-NBA-GMs.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Devin Booker dissed in favor of Anthony Edwards by NBA GMs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T16:55:06-07:00">October 8th, 4:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T16:55:06-07:00">October 8th, 4:55pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Months after Phoenix Suns star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/how-devin-booker-called-his-shot-with-gold-medal">Devin Booker called his shot</a> in the Summer Olympics, NBA general managers shared their honest thoughts about the top shooting guard in the league. <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2024-25-nba-gm-survey" rel="noopener">33% of the total votes</a> went to Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, with Booker <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2024-25-nba-gm-survey" rel="noopener">getting only 23%</a> of the vote. This comes as a surprise, considering Booker had 63% of the votes the year prior.<br><br>Last season, Booker put up <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bookede01.html" rel="noopener">27.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists</a> per game. His production on a stacked Suns team resulted in an All-NBA selection for the former Kentucky guard. Although the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-most-to-blame-for-embarrassing-playoff-sweep-at-hands-of-timberwolves">first-round sweep by the Timberwolves</a> didn’t help, it shouldn’t take away from Booker’s production. The Suns were riddled with injuries, as they played the first 23 games of the regular season without all three on the court simultaneously.</p><p>Regardless of the rankings, even Edwards acknowledged <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/suns/news/anthony-edwards-impressed-devin-booker-olympics" rel="noopener">how impressed he was</a> with Booker during the Olympic run. Booker’s ability to play his role to near perfection helped Team USA secure another Gold Medal. Playing tough defense, hitting open threes, and being a momentum shift was what sealed the deal. Although Booker enjoyed himself in Paris, the NBA season resumed almost two months later.</p><h2><b>How do Suns’ Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards match up?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Devin-Booker-and-Anthony-Edwards-mark-the-No.-1-and-2-spots-as-best-shooting-guards.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Funny enough, Booker had Edwards’s number in the regular season. He has an <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/vs/devin-booker-vs-anthony-edwards" rel="noopener">11-1 record through 12 games</a>. Also, Booker averages more in every category besides rebounds, steals, and blocks. Edwards is more of a defensive presence than Booker, using his athleticism to beat defenders to spots, and cut off driving lanes. His 6’9 wingspan helps him guard bigger guards and forwards. </p><p>On the flip side, Booker’s defense has progressed year by year. In the Olympics was the first instance of the Suns guard being a true lockdown. While the athletes are different overseas than in the United States, defending at a high level can translate to whoever someone plays. </p><p>Offensively, this is where the two stars differ. Both are excellent scorers but have an interesting way of doing it. Edwards uses his athleticism and ball-handling to get to the rim at ease. He’s also been a solid catch-and-shoot player as well. Furthermore, he averaged 6.4 free throws per game, one more free throw than the previous season. The blend has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-side-side-anthony-edwards-michael-jordan-dunking-suns-goes-viral">led to viral dunks</a>, among other things.</p><p>For Booker, his offensive game isn’t as flashy as Edwards but is more fundamentally sound. His unique blend of <a href="https://coachnatehartman.com/devin-booker-pick-and-roll-pace/" rel="noopener">utilizing the pick-and-roll</a>, along with the mid-range shot is extremely effective. Booker’s touch with the ball has helped him develop a nice interior presence too. He may not dunk on everyone like Edwards but using both hands and angling shots is just as effective.</p><h2><b>Can Devin Booker overtake Anthony Edwards as the top shooting guard?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-Devin-Booker-dissed-in-favor-of-Anthony-Edwards.jpg"><figcaption>© David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>A new system will do wonders for Booker. While Frank Vogel was a solid head coach, he didn’t implement a steady offensive system. As a result, Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal took turns running the floor. It wasn’t bad by any means but it limited the offensive skill sets of all of those players. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-tyus-jones-agrees-to-3-3-million-contract">Suns signing Tyus Jones</a>, the offense can now run through a traditional point guard. Someone who can let Booker score at will and not have to focus solely on facilitating.</p><p>Because of this, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kevin-durant-identifies-issue-must-address">Suns can limit turnovers</a>, something that they’ve worked on since the start of training camp. Booker should have the ball in his hands but shouldn’t have to create his offense 100% of the time. Having Beal and Durant to play off should help immensely. Even in Phoenix’s first preseason game, there was tons of off-ball movement, and short rolls to the basket by Booker.</p><p>Statistically, it may not be in Booker’s favor as Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns was recently traded to the New York Knicks. It’ll force Edwards to take more of an offensive weight but might dip his percentages. Both teams’ records should be significantly different from the previous season. Minnesota ended as the No. 3 seed while Phoenix fell to the No. 6. seed.</p><p>Beal believed that the Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-bradley-beal-bold-1-seed-take-injury-riddled-season">could’ve been the No. 1 seed</a> had injuries not stepped in the way. While it’s uncertain what seed Phoenix could obtain, they certainly seem more promising. The last time Booker had a true point guard was with Chris Paul and they secured the No. 2 and No. 1 seed within Paul’s first two seasons. Booker had some of his most efficient seasons with Paul dictating the offense.</p><p>It’s unknown if Booker will overtake Edwards in the eyes of NBA GMs. If there is an opportunity for that to happen though, it’s this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Devin Booker dissed in favor of Anthony Edwards by NBA GMs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-bradley-beal-bold-1-seed-take-injury-riddled-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns star Bradley Beal’s bold 1-seed take after injury-riddled season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-news-Bradley-Beals-bold-1-seed-take-after-injury-riddled-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns star Bradley Beal’s bold 1-seed take after injury-riddled season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T11:24:37-07:00">October 8th, 11:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T11:24:37-07:00">October 8th, 11:24am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-kevin-durant-identifies-issue-must-address">The Phoenix Suns have plenty of issues</a> to work through in advance of the 2024-25 NBA season, which is now just two weeks away. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bradley-beals-eye-opening-claim-suns-rookies-hype-fans">Bradley Beal recently cast praise on the team’s rookies</a> who were drafted this summer, it’s unlikely they will receive much playing time this year, leaving it up to Beal and his veteran teammates to carry the load once again.</p><p>They didn’t do a great job of that last year, as the team was swept in embarrassing fashion by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs after a frustrating regular season. Still, that isn’t stopping Beal from dropping a <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1843693110343413767" rel="noopener">confident hot take</a> about how things may have shaken out had Phoenix stayed healthier, via “Run Your Race,” per Tidal League.</p><p>“I missed 30 games and we won 49 games… If I played half of them games, we are the number 1 seed in the West, or at least competing for the number one seed,” said Beal.</p><h2><b>What went wrong vs the Timberwolves?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Beal-during-preseason.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Beal also spoke on that infamous Suns’ series vs the Timberwolves, one in which he struggled mightily from the field for the majority of the four games.</p><p>“It’s tough, man, because we’re competitors,” said Beal. “I ain’t gonna say we ran into the wrong team, but we ran into the wrong team. Because the way they play, they are huge. Very physical, very physical game. But they made shots. Like, Rudy (Gobert) didn’t miss a free throw. We’re trying to foul him, and he’s hitting 80, 90 at the line.”</p><p>While it may not make the pill any easier to swallow for Suns fans, the Timberwolves indeed play out of their minds for large portions of that series vs Phoenix, before riding that momentum to a shocking upset of the Denver Nuggets in round two before fizzling out in their Western Conference Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Suns have now failed to make it past the second round for the third straight year following their surprise trip to the NBA Finals in 2021, and their trade for Beal last offseason is looking like it could be one of the worst decisions in modern NBA history if things don’t get turned around quickly.</p><p>In any case, Phoenix is set to open up its new season on October 23 on the road vs the Los Angeles Clippers. The team will then stay in the City of Angels for a date with the Lakers two nights later.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phoenix
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Suns News: Get the latest Phoenix Suns news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

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PhoenixSuns NEWS

Suns News: Get the latest Phoenix Suns news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Suns News

Suns player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season

Suns’ Kevin Durant puts ‘online dummies’ on full blast

1 fatal flaw each NBA team must fix heading into 2024-25 season

Bradley Beal sounds off on need to ‘program’ himself

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Suns’ sneaky offseason move that surprised everybody

• Kevin Durant’s classic Nike KD 4 sees new update

• Kendrick Perkins selects Suns as championship ‘dark horse’

• Kendrick Perkins gets shredded for bizarre Mason Plumlee-Suns take

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