3. What do the Suns need to focus on as we close out the season?
Bourguet: Player development and building chemistry. This season has been a disappointment, but the Suns still have a very young core, and that core did show signs of improvement from an individual standpoint. Now it’s a matter of building some type of cohesion, especially for Bledsoe and Knight. Speaking of Bledsoe, it’d be nice to see him become more of a consistent leader, even if Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren figure to receive more minutes down the stretch now.
Chasen: Integrating the young guys with the “veterans.” Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see Goodwin and Warren play 40 minutes a night from here on out, but to me, it’s far more important for them to learn to play with some of the key players on the team. If that means staggering their minutes, so be it. The rest of the year should be entirely about development, and that’s something I suspect the Suns will focus on to finish out the year.
Hann: Youth, youth and more youth. I wouldn’t be upset to see a starting five of Bledsoe, Goodwin, Bullock, Warren and Len over these last several games. With nothing to play for, Phoenix can (AND ABSOLUTELY SHOULD) try to rotate in their youngest players for 20-25 minutes a night.
Saar: Continuity and defense. They need to continue to grow as a team, improve their defensive rotations and instincts. Of course they need to play the young guys more, maybe sit Bledsoe several games. Then it’s off to the offseason.
Schall: What they should have been doing since the deadline, putting their youth in uncomfortable situations and seeing how they react. While Archie Goodwin, T.J. Warren, and Alex Len (when healthy) have played increasingly significant roles down the stretch, due to a combination of playoff pressure and the more established talent around them, they haven’t been pushed as much as they would be on a tanking team. Goodwin could certainly use more time running the offense off the bench, Orlando did the same thing with Victor Oladipo last year and it did wonders for his development as a playmaker.
Next: Reaching .500