Valley of the Suns
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Three Goals for The Phoenix Suns Next Season

By Grant Funtila

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Earl Watson of the Phoenix Suns looks on against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on November 13, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Earl Watson of the Phoenix Suns looks on against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on November 13, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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2. Continue to give more playing time to the young guys

PHOENIX, AZ – JUNE 23: The Phoenix Suns introduce the 2017 draft picks to the media during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – JUNE 23: The Phoenix Suns introduce the 2017 draft picks to the media during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

At the start of the 2016-2017 season, the Suns had four teenagers on their roster with Devin Booker, Derrick Jones Jr., Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss – an NBA record. That goes to show how young this team is and how much time they may need to become a contending team.

With the addition of Josh Jackson the team now has a young core that they hope can mesh together and one day end their seven year playoff drought. Even guys like Alan Williams and T.J. Warren are all still relatively young, even though one might actually call them vets.

Last year we marvelled at how good Devin Booker is as he averaged 22.1 ppg. Of course it wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the minutes he received where the 35.0 he averaged per game led the team.

In the post all-star break, with the injuries to both Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe, Head Coach Earl Watson decided to let his young players lead on the court. The athletic Marquese Chriss averaged 12.7 ppg and 5.9 rpg while playing 26.9 mpg, up from 18.8 mpg before the break. And 5’9 Tyler Ulis played his heart out as he averaged 13.2 ppg, 7.2 apg, and 32.0 mpg compared to 3.1 ppg, 1.3 apg, while only playing 9.0 mpg.

Watson has an unenviable job of spreading minutes across the board to all the younglings. In the end though he still has veterans like Eric Bledsoe and Tyson Chandler that can contribute right away and demand minutes (not literally, but figuratively), though he has to consider the development of some of their other young guys like Dragan Bender and Josh Jackson.

If they really are all in on their young core, or as most Suns fans call them “The Timeline,” then finding regular minutes for them should be a goal for next season.

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