In his eight seasons of professional basketball, Brandan Wright has become something of an NBA journeyman. In his first four years in the league, he only played in 114 games for the Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets.
After signing on with the Dallas Mavericks for the veteran minimum in 2011, he quickly emerged as a valuable backup who could beat his man down the floor, score in transition and block shots thanks to his massive wing span and good finishing ability near the basket.
More from Suns News
- Ranking the Phoenix Suns’ 5 holiday games in 2023-24
- Zion Williamson gets compared to Phoenix Suns legend
- Suns player preview: Bol Bol can be the perfect role player
- Former Suns’ guard shows he is officially done with Phoenix
- NBA insider guarantees Suns’ rival won’t make blockbuster trade
He was never the answer at the center position, even for a Mavs team struggling to regroup without Tyson Chandler, but even when Chandler returned to Dallas for the 2014-15 season, Wright was always an energetic boost off the bench.
Unfortunately for Wright, the Mavs went all in for Rajon Rondo and the league leader in field goal percentage was shipped off to a Boston Celtics team that didn’t want him. Danny Ainge wound up trading Wright to his third team of the season and the fifth of his career after just eight games and three DNPs.
It’s been an adjustment process for Wright, who’s had to move twice in the span of a few weeks. Not only has he had to adjust to a new group of teammates with the Phoenix Suns, but he’s had to do so twice after the Suns shipped off one-third of the team at the trade deadline. It’s been a grueling process, but Brandan Wright is finally starting to settle in with his new teammates.
Next: Getting Comfortable
Getting Comfortable
In 28 games with the Suns, Wright is averaging 6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor. Those numbers are down from the career-best stat line he was putting up in Dallas (8.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 18.7 MPG, 74.8 percent shooting), and they certainly don’t scream “game changer” for the Suns.
However, Wright has finally started to look comfortable for the first time in a Suns jersey.
In Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks, Wright put up his first double-double for Phoenix, finishing with a season-high 18 points (7-of-8 shooting) and 11 rebounds in a career-high 37 minutes. It was just the eighth double-double of his career, and it came against the team with the worst record in the league.
But for a guy who’s taken awhile to adjust to his fourth new set of teammates this season, it was a promising sign.
“I think so,” Wright said when he was asked if he’s starting to feel comfortable. “I mean, we would have liked for it to work a lot faster as far as me getting comfortable with the guys. You know, we had a couple changes, we had some major changes, but we had a good team effort tonight.”
Head coach Jeff Hornacek also noticed that Wright seems to be getting more acclimated after the Knicks game.
“I think he is feeling more comfortable when he gets the ball in the lane just to go up and shoot it like he used to do it [in Dallas],” he said. “He made a few of those and he made a big three-point play for us later on in the game that helped seal it.”
Next: Stepping In For Len
Stepping In For Len
When he first came to Phoenix, Wright looked timid and what had seemed like a perfect fit on paper felt like jamming a round cog in a square peg. One good game doesn’t mean a player has worked out all the kinks, but given Alex Len‘s availability over the last few weeks, it’s no wonder Wright is starting to look more comfortable.
Over the last few weeks, Wright’s teammates have started to grow accustomed to their backup center. His numbers are up across the board and as a result, so are his minutes. Just take a look at his production from February vs. his first eight games in March:
- February: 16.9 MPG, 5.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 4.1 FGA, 55.6 FG%
- March: 23.3 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 5.8 FGA, 58.7 FG%
With Len missing two of his last five games due to ankle injuries, Wright has taken on an expanded role and is averaging 9.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game during that span. It’s a small sample size, and it’s worth mentioning that Len and Brandon Knight have missed time as well.
But even if Wright’s production is a direct result of more minutes being freed up by Len’s injury, at least he’s gotten more comfortable (and more responsibility) as a byproduct of those injuries. After all, it wasn’t long ago that Earl Barron was getting the start over Wright when Len missed the Cleveland Cavaliers game.
Next: In Transition
In Transition
Since the Suns don’t really operate out of many pick-and-roll sets, one of Wright’s greatest skills has been underutilized so far in Phoenix. Had Wright joined the Suns during the Steve Nash era, he might have been a vastly different player operating in pick-and-rolls with the two-time MVP.
However, just because Wright hasn’t quite fit in with the half court offense at times doesn’t mean he’s been completely misused — especially on the team averaging the second-most fast break points per game in the NBA.
“I mean, I fit on the court,” Wright said. “Whatever I can do to help this team, usually I have a big advantage if you put me at center, quickness and athletic ability-wise, but we’ve got to use that. We’ve got to get out and run, we’ve got to gain rebounds, we’ve got to get steals, get in transition and make plays.”
Have yourself a night Brandan Wright. He has 13 points, 11 rebounds and this GIFable DUNK! #SunsVsKnicks pic.twitter.com/9ma3w2dgpY
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 16, 2015
Wright has been at his best with the Suns in transition, with Phoenix’s guards finding him streaking to the basket, usually unopposed by the smaller defenders trying to stop the break. Of the 178 points Wright has scored thus far with the Suns, 35 have come in fast break situations, per NBA.com. That’s nearly 20 percent of his scoring output.
Since Jan. 11, when he played his first game with the Suns, Wright is averaging 1.3 fast break points per game, ranking him ninth among all centers in the NBA during that span. The eight players in front of him are all starters. When the Suns get out on the break, Wright suddenly becomes a very dangerous offensive weapon.
Next: Free Agency
Free Agency
Based on who’s been available, Wright’s minutes have fluctuated between the power forward and the center positions, making it that much more difficult for him to carve out his niche.
However, Wright hasn’t been deterred after an entire career of trying to fit in.
“The last four years, I’ve been playing 85 percent backup center,” he said. “A little bit more in Dallas, I played a lot more backup 4 so I’m pretty comfortable with it. Wherever I need to be, wherever I can be plugged in at I just got to be ready to play.”
Wright has been undeniably more effective logging minutes at center than he has been at the 4, mostly because he can’t really shoot outside the painted area. As a free agent this summer, Wright’s ability to block shots, run the floor and convert easy buckets in the paint may put the Suns in a difficult place between wanting to keep him and being willing to pay up in order to do so.
With the Suns intent on re-signing restricted free agent Brandon Knight and/or hoping to land a star over the summer with their cap space, another team may lure Wright away with a bigger contract.
However, it’d be nice to see Wright stick in Phoenix, especially since he’s been a journeyman looking for a more permanent home throughout his career. He came agonizingly close to finding it in Dallas, and is now making the best of his situation with the Suns.
Re-signing this 27-year-old (at the right price, of course) would be a great advantage for the Suns moving forward, especially if he continues to grow more comfortable with his new team.
“His activity of rolling to the basket; [opposing defenses] have to honor that,” Hornacek said. “We’ll get to the point where we can make some good lob passes to him too and we’ll have that combination.
“We don’t do a lot of that where we throw him the lob so when we do see one open we seem to be missing it. Again, hopefully that connection will be there.”
Next: Archie Goodwin's Development Coming At Two Positions