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NBA hiatus comes at better time for Phoenix Suns than most

By Kyle Manthe

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 10: Seats are empty prior to the New York Knicks playing the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. 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 Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 10: Seats are empty prior to the New York Knicks playing the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. 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 Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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With the NBA on a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each team will be affected differently if/when play resumes, including the Phoenix Suns.

Although there is really never a good time for what is happening right now, if you were to focus solely on the basketball impact it has on the Phoenix Suns, you would find it is not quite as large as you would expect.

The final game played before the postponement was a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, another team aiming for the final playoff spot in the West. Even with two unexpected wins prior, that loss had pretty much ended any realistic hope the Phoenix Suns had of a miraculous playoff run.

With the playoffs out of the picture, outside of development, the team was essentially playing for ping pong balls at that point. While development for a young team is certainly important, it is not as if the Suns are being disadvantaged more than any other team in that department.

With many key players set to be out for an extended time, including Deandre Ayton, Kelly Oubre, and Cam Johnson, the development would not have even fully been there. Because of this, it would be hard for Monty Williams and James Jones to make any kind of legitimate observations about any of the younger fringe rotational players.

With injuries piling up to the point they did, it would be unfair to come to any judgments based on Monty Williams as well. The Phoenix Suns had already surpassed their win total from the previous four seasons in just 65 games. It should be obvious at this point that he was a worthy hire and deserves to come back for a second season.

If regular season games are still played after the postponement, that would be helpful for the Suns as well. With a break of at least 30 days (and likely many more than that), every player on the Suns roster should be fully healthy, which would be the most ideal situation anyway.

The worst-case for the Phoenix Suns and their fans would be that the NBA jumps right into the traditional playoffs, rather than adding any twists. With the Suns essentially out of the playoffs, that would not change trajectories of players in any major way.

Next. The Cardinals pulled off a trade the Suns never do. dark

Given the situation the sports world as a whole is in right now, the Phoenix Suns are set to be impacted by it all as little as could be hoped for from a competitive standpoint. If play does resume, hopefully, players both stay healthy and recover from current injuries to be ready for whatever is next to come.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

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