1. Brandon Knight Getting Comfortable
The biggest reason these last few weeks have been so depressing is that Brandon Knight hasn’t been stellar so far as a Phoenix Sun. Think about it. If Knight had come out and dropped 30 in his debut, would people be missing Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas? Would they be complaining about having to pay Knight this summer as a restricted free agent? Of course not.
That being said, a little patience on this front could pay off soon. Don’t worry Suns fans, I’m not about to jinx him with any huge proclamations like I did Bledsoe, but last night’s game against the Magic was a positive first step.
Yes, it was one game against the lowly Magic, but doesn’t it mean something that after finally having his first full practice with the team, Knight came out and dropped 28 points and seven assists while shooting 4-for-9 from downtown? He made the monumental steal on an inbounds pass to ice the game, and he threw down a wicked dunk in transition as well:
Between the sadness and shock of being traded away, trying to learn how to play with another combo guard, dealing with a hip injury and not having much practice time with the team, it’s no wonder he averaged a meager 13.5 points and 4.5 assists in his first six games with the Suns (along with 37 percent shooting and 32.5 percent shooting from downtown).
Last night was easily Knight’s best game so far with Phoenix, and it was the first time he’s looked comfortable and confident with his new teammates. He’s only 23 years old and if he meshes like he did with Bledsoe last night for the rest of the season, the Suns’ future will revert back to “bright” as quickly as this gloomy darkness descended a few weeks ago.
Next: Eric Bledsoe: The New Leader Of The Phoenix Suns