Phoenix Suns End of the Bench for the 2021-22 Season
Knock on wood, but if the Suns fall subject to the injury bug next year, these three players might see significant court time. Two return from last season, and the third returns after a three-year stint away from Phoenix with the New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks.
- C: Frank Kaminsky
- SF: Abdel Nader
- PG: Elfrid Payton
Frank Kaminsky struggled exponentially during the NBA Finals, no way around that. But to his credit, he often found himself stuck trying to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo—a task too tall for pretty much anyone. But when you really get down to it, Kaminsky still re-joins the Suns as a solid locker room guy and decent floor spacer at the offensive end. You can never have too much of either thing.
Abdel Nader played minimally last year while laboring through a knee injury. But when he did suit up for games, he shot 41.9 percent from outside. Nader came out west as an attachment to the Chris Paul trade, so Phoenix’s expectations for him are likely minimal. If he maintains his efficient shooting though, he might find minutes also as floor spacer should Cameron Johnson struggle for any reason.
New York Knicks fans gladly waved goodbye to Elfird Payton this summer. He posted an atrocious -97 plus/minus last year, but still played big minutes for New York as they made their triumphant return to relevancy. So at the very least, he rounds out this Suns rotation as a guy who can play a lot should he ever need to.