The Phoenix Suns suffered an embarrassing ten-point loss to the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday night, the first time an NBA team has lost to an NBL opponent.
Phoenix surrendered an early lead late in the first quarter, and despite numerous runs where they looked threatening, were never able to overcome the 36ers remarkably hot shooting from beyond the arc.
Adelaide shot 24-for-43 (55.8%) from three, with the Suns going 9-for-34 (26.5%) in what was evidently the difference in the game.
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams used 12 players against the Adelaide 36ers, many of who clearly needed the run in their first official hitout.
There were few positives for the Suns, with the team doing little to help ease fans’ concern over the construction of the roster. While it may only be one preseason game, it’s all we have to go off so far.
Here is every Suns player ranked from the disappointing preseason opener:
12. Damion Lee
Not the impression Lee wanted to make in his Suns debut. The 30-year-old played 16 minutes but failed to have any major impact, recording just three points, one rebound and one assist. Truly one of those games where you could’ve easily forgotten he was out there, with performances like this unlikely to earn him regular minutes in the rotation.
11. Cameron Johnson
Playing his first game as an official Suns starter, Johnson often looked lost as the fifth scoring option on the floor. The Suns starting unit was effective offensively, but Johnson finished with just four points on 2-for-7 shooting and missed all four of his three-point attempts. His shooting threat does open the floor more for the Suns pick-and-roll game, so no major concerns here for the moment.
10. Bismack Biyombo
Played just 3:26 in gametime and had no impact. Clearly Williams wanted to have a look at Jock Landale, but Biyombo should get further opportunity as the preseason progresses.