Phoenix Suns Preview: Tyson Chandler’s 18th season in the NBA

Tyson Chandler will return to the Suns for the fourth and final year of his contract this season. But what should we expect from the Suns’ resident veteran this year?

The unofficial start of the 2018-2019 NBA season is just two weeks away when training camp commences, so now is the perfect time for Suns fans to gear up for the upcoming year.

This season’s roster looks much different than last year’s, with a lot of the usual faces now playing for different teams. But one of the mainstays on the Suns since this “rebuild” really started taking shape in 2015 is returning for his fourth year with the team – and 18th overall.

That is Tyson Chandler.

Tyson may be playing a bit of a different role on the court this season after the drafting of Deandre Ayton this summer. Ayton is almost guaranteed to get most of the starts at center in 2018-19, but that doesn’t mean Tyson won’t have an impact on the court.

Tyson has averaged a near double-double throughout the course of his career, and I think we can expect him to put up these numbers even though he’ll be playing most of his minutes coming off the bench.  He’s averaged around 25 minutes a game during his time with the Suns, so he’ll probably be seeing playing time only slightly under that, especially as Ayton gets acclimated to the league.

Phoenix Suns

Tyson is known for his rebounding prowess, averaging 9.4 rebounds per game on his career. There’s no reason to think that that skill won’t continue this season.

Although not necessarily an elite scorer, Tyson did score the winning bucket for the team during a game last season. I do think he could impact a game in this way again this season.

In a post I wrote last season, I looked at how we can define Tyson. Words that come to mind are rebounds and leadership. These qualities and traits are so important to remember about him, especially now that we have Ayton around.

The Suns will be without Jared Dudley this season, one of the veterans that impacted the club in the way he preached about accountability. His presence was felt in his transparency when addressing the media or interacting with fans. This subtraction makes Tyson that much more indispensable.

Some fans may look at Tyson’s contract and wonder why the Suns didn’t try to trade that away. But really, Tyson is important for the impact he’ll have off the court. You can’t put a price tag on a veteran of his kind.

Tyson is one of the last “traditional big men” in the NBA. He’s done most of his work in the paint, and grabbed his 10,000th career board this past season. He’s won a championship, he’s been an All-Star, he’s won an Olympic Gold Medal, and Deandre Ayton will get to learn from him.

I always go back to The Players’ Tribune’s Rookie-Vet series from 2015. That mini-series made me appreciate Tyson so much. He had a huge impact on Devin Booker, and they don’t even play the same position.

Now Tyson has a center to mentor. He won’t only be able to teach him about the grind of being in the NBA, but he’ll be able to teach him how to play like him. If Ayton can become a player with the status of prime Tyson Chandler, the Suns would be very lucky.

So the Suns couldn’t have traded Tyson away. He means too much to the development and progress of this team. His presence will be felt in more ways than one this upcoming season.

What will Tyson’s 18th season in the NBA look like?

We can sit here and predict numbers and statistics, but his true value lies within himself. He’s going to be Tyson Chandler regardless of how much playing time he’ll get or how many games he’ll start. He’ll carry with him all of the experiences he’s had during his long run in the NBA.

This is a player that has achieved so much during the course of his career, and he’s playing with a bunch of guys that want to get to where he’s been.

If anything, the 2018-2019 season may be Tyson’s most important one with the Suns.