1. T.J. Warren Will Earn His Much-Deserved Chance
Knight’s ankle injury only figures to keep him sidelined for Phoenix’s next couple of games, however, so our No. 1 expectation revolves around one of the few bright spots for the Suns lately. Archie Goodwin may not get the minutes fans want to see, but rookie T.J. Warren has spent the last few games proving he belongs.
Warren’s nose for the basket and his slashing cuts off the ball have gotten him points the easy way, making his offensive game a boost to Phoenix’s struggling offense. Against the Warriors, Warren tied his career high with 11 points (5-of-9 shooting) in 24 minutes.
TJ Warren’s shot chart this season. 73% at the rim is superstar stuff. He might blow up pic.twitter.com/W6Vy7uiO89
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) March 12, 2015
In the team’s first game without Knight, Warren was even better, racking up a new career-high 17 points in 19 minutes. He was an incredibly efficient 8-for-10 from the field, he pulled down five rebounds and he committed only one turnover. Not bad for a rookie whose defense also just so happens to be coming along.
As long as Knight remains sidelined, fans would probably like to see Warren get more than 19 minutes a night. He’s been incredibly effective with his scoring, making 17 of his last 24 field goal attempts, and if there’s any silver lining of not getting to see Brandon Knight play, it’s observing what this promising 21-year-old can do.
Next: Suns 5-on-5: Are Phoenix Suns' Offensive Woes Fixable?