This has been a long season and there have been a lot of bad things said about the Phoenix Suns. However, you have to admire how this team just quietly rumbles on.
It’s no secret that the Phoenix Suns are having a nightmare of a season. Fans have heard all the bad and it doesn’t really need talked about in depth. A lot of it is on the state of the team, the losing, how the franchise is viewed around the league and the sorry excuse of an owner that is Robert Sarver.
However, something that isn’t talked on too much and should be is how the players on this team, for the most part, keep their mouths shut and go out and play basketball. James Jones has had his voice heard (according to Arizona Sports) but this isn’t about him.
It would be easy for the players to speak up, given the social media availability and presence in this modern day version of the association. It wouldn’t be that difficult for the head coach to speak what’s on his mind. Yet, they don’t pipe up (other than a few catches by Josh Jackson) and they get out onto the battlefield, er court, and trudge onward.
Phoenix Suns
Igor Kokoskov could have come out and talked himself up as a head coach and what he’s had to deal with as his seat was rumored to heat up. Did he, though? No. That speaks levels on his leadership.
Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the two best players on the team, could have came out and said what’s on their minds. You know they have a take on this, every thing going on around them.
All that’s really been heard from them is how they are tired of the losing and how they are going to do what they can to change that. This is exactly the type of “answer” you want from the “stars” on your franchise.
Tyler Johnson and Kelly Oubre were brought in as “veterans” during the season through different trades and with their voices being welcomed in the locker room, have had the opportunity to have their voices heard on the state of the franchise. Yet, all that’s been heard is from Oubre saying how he’d love to return to the team as he’ll be a restricted free agent after this season.
All this speaks levels without doing any actual talking at all. There is a thing among basketball players that brings a lot of respect from other ballers. That’s when players shut up and play, when they do their talking on the court. That’s exactly what this young team is doing, as much as they can any way.
Over the last week or so the talk on the team has got so much more negative and even more publicized. How have they responded? They are 3-1 over their last 4 games with wins over LeBron’s Lakers and the league leading Milwaukee Bucks.
Ayton, the number one pick in the draft that has been drowned in the talk of Luka Doncic and lately Trae Young, has been playing his best basketball. He’d been questioned on the defensive end and in the last couple games was set up against two of the best players in the NBA in LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
How did he do? Very well. For the majority of each game, he had them on lock not knowing what or how to play how they are known to. Yes, they got their numbers, but they really had to earn it. Have you heard a lot of talk on Deandre? No, even though you should.
All of the positive talk that this team should be getting like how well Ayton is playing, how they’ve gone out and played their tails off while missing multiple games of Booker and having T.J. Warren out for an extended stretch has been quiet to non existent.
Take away a point guard from even the best of teams for the entire season (the Suns lack a true PG) and don’t let that team have really any kind of power forward at all. Would they be doing nearly as good? That’s a hard no. Now, throw all kinds of shade at that franchise and see if they keep it bottled up.
LeBron, for example, when put into a sticky situation by the possibility that he won’t make the playoffs this season with how badly the Lakers are playing, has called out his teammates on multiple occasions. You don’t see that with the Suns.
This team has gone through a lot of hardship and difficulties this season but keeps getting out there on the court and playing through. It seems like it’s starting to click for them lately too as they are playing some good basketball right now. But, it’s almost like no one is paying attention.