Tyson Chandler finished his second season as a Phoenix Sun, and he was just what the young core needed.
Chandler was brought in two years ago to be a veteran influence on the court and in the locker room. This season he was more than that. While he only played 47 games, he finished averaging 8.4 points and 11.5 rebounds, his rebounding average which was good enough for eighth best in the league, and the 9th best rebounding average in franchise history.
His best stretch of the season was between January 19th and 24th where he had three games of over 16 points (averaging 17.25) and over 16 rebounds (averaging 14.5). The Suns won two of the four games, and Tyson played a big role in both victories.
Veteran Presence
While he was on the court, Chandler was a force to be reckoned with. He can still force his way to the basket at anytime leading to crazy alley-oop finishes and put-back jams. On the defensive side, he still out-rebound anybody and defend the basket with the best defensive bigs in the league. What was more valuable than his on-court production was the mentor-ship he provided to the Young Suns. With up-and-coming players like Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender, having an elite rebounder and strong finisher as their personal example and on court coach is vital to their development.
He is Aging
The 2016-17 season was a good year for Tyson, however there are a few negatives to note. Mostly his age is becoming a factor in his play. He cannot log the minutes the he used to and he has to deal with injuries quite often. When teams go inside at him, he cannot move quite fast enough to keep up and often ends up watching the younger, more athletic front court players score. Unfortunately, there is not much he can do to fix this – age will continue to catch up with him. Hopefully the Suns can get a few more good years out of him.
Summary
Tyson Chandler is the ideal veteran for a growing team. He is still a solid player and provides great leadership for the Young Suns. If he can hold off the injuries and keep up his play, the Suns would do well to keep him. However if he cannot stay healthy, the only option is to trade him.