Monty Williams keeps tinkering with the Phoenix Suns’ rotation

Wherefore art thou Dario?

The Ayton-Baynes duo has come at the expense of Dario Saric, who has been benched for reasons unknown. In my post from yesterday, I speculated Dario is being shopped around, and after another full day think about it, this is the only logical reason I can conjure up to justify his benching.

And if you’re going to bench him, bench him. What does him playing four or five minutes, which is what he has played in the last two games, do for the team or for Dario?

The same odd playing time complaint goes for Tyler Johnson. What was he doing on the court at the end of the Lakers game during the Suns’ valiant comeback attempt? Sure, he made a couple shots earlier in the game, but that doesn’t automatically make him ‘hot’ and thus worthy of closing the game out. Subsequently, he missed a couple wide open 3s that would have put the game in serious contention.

If Tyler Johnson and Dario Saric are not part of the team’s vision, and by all markers, this seems to be the case, then don’t play them. Or, play them like you normally would if they were part of the longer-term road map and deal with the change when they are eventually traded. But a couple of minutes here and there doesn’t create the type of rhythm players need to be successful.