Phoenix Suns: 5 Lessons From Preseason Opener
1. Leuer Brings More To The Table Than We Thought
The positional battles for playing time are intriguing, no doubt. It’s also interesting to analyze how the Suns’ starting five will mesh once the regular season begins. But let’s be honest, the real reason you’ve made it this far is to relive Jon Leuer’s epic dunk on DeMarcus Cousins.
Feast your eyes on the preseason play that brought Talking Stick Resort Arena to its feet and had the home fans cheering well into the ensuing timeout:
jon leuer dunked on dmc https://t.co/RJ1HdbJQ9t
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) October 8, 2015
LET’S TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE LIVE MANSLAUGHTER:
HALFTIME: Suns 52 Kings 53. @JLeu30 has 9 points and 7 rebounds. Oh, and this monster dunk! #SunsVsKings pic.twitter.com/wgXXujurIz
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 8, 2015
ONE. MORE. TIME:
Remember when Archie Goodwin baptized Jonas Valanciunas and Suns Nation lost its collective mind for a good 24 hours? That’s what that dunk was like, preseason or not.
“I saw DeMarcus Cousins coming, and I just tried to go up as hard as I could because I know he’s a big guy and a good athlete,” Leuer said. “Fortunately I came out on the right end of it.”
The bench reaction was just as fantastic, with the players running out to swarm Leuer at half court as soon as the timeout was called. Even the half-filled arena stayed on its feet cheering as Leuer walked back to the huddle with his teammates mobbing him.
Leuer’s dunk wasn’t just some random highlight play, however. It was a testament to the growing bond between these players that’s been in the making since voluntary workouts.
“It wasn’t just his dunk, but I like everybody’s reactions to his dunk,” Tyson Chandler said. “Because that shows that everybody’s engaged and rooting for one another.”
But summing up Jon Leuer’s night with one dunk wouldn’t be doing him justice. After all, the guy did finish with a 17-13 triple-double in only 19 minutes of action. It’s only preseason, is what you’re thinking. But Hornacek didn’t seem surprised at all by Leuer’s strong play after the game.
“Jon has played well all training camp,” he said. “He’s out there trying to earn minutes and he’ll continue to play. That’s how Jon plays, he’s just solid. He does the right things. We know Mirza will make the shots, we know Markieff will make the shots, but when they’re not, then Jon will be in there.”
On a night where Markieff Morris and Mirza Teletovic shot a combined 3-for-23 (1-for-7 from deep), Leuer’s 6-for-8 shooting earned him his minutes, with some even coming at the 5 in a few small-ball lineups.
Leuer said he’s comfortable playing different positions and believes that what he showed in the preseason opener is what he can provide every night.
“That’s what I feel like I can bring to this team,” he said. “Versatility, shooting the ball, putting the ball on the floor, making plays for myself and my teammates, rebounding, defense, just try to do a little bit of everything.”
Though Leuer is still third on the depth chart at power forward, his strong opening night performance — along with Hornacek’s comments about trusting all three players at that position — was the biggest takeaway of the night.
When asked if he felt like he was facing an uphill battle for minutes, Leuer said, “No, I think we’re a really deep team. I think that’s one of the strengths of this team, that on any given night, somebody might play 25-30 minutes and come in and get hot and contribute and that’s definitely a positive for us.”
Next: 5 Steps To Markieff Morris Redeeming Himself