Let’s project for a moment that the Suns do not make a major roster adjustment the rest of the offseason – that means no Kyrie. What might the Suns be expecting from their starting lineup in 2017-18?
It’s never too early to project the 2017-18 Phoenix Suns as the excitement for the upcoming season is palpable – even if they are out of the playoff race in the first month. From the continued maturation of Devin Booker, to the addition of Josh Jackson, and the hope that Dragan Bender can find an outside shot, there is much to look forward to and watch for all year, even if the outcome of the season is about as obvious as the Finals competitors themselves.
The team is oozing with young talent, and fans have so many players that they want to see take off and have career-years already this season. And with so many moving parts (and the unfortunate unforeseen injuries) any number of players could end up spending time in the starting lineup. Outside of shooting guard which is already held down by Devin Booker with great authority, point guard could potentially see two different starters, small forward two as well, power forward may at times see three different players start if even just for spot-fills, and center too could see a number of different starters.
This is a projection though of the five players who will spend the majority of the time in the starting lineup. Whether they all start the season or end in in these roles remains to be seen. But these are the five that we can easily expect to play more games in the starting-five, than any others.