The Phoenix Suns rotation heading into the regular season

There remains question marks on the Phoenix Suns rotation heading into their regular season opener against the Dallas Mavericks next Wednesday. Surprising individual performances and a few minor injuries provided the headlines of preseason, giving Monty Williams plenty of food for thought over the coming days.

There’s optimism that every Phoenix player will be available come opening night, aside from Jae Crowder who continues to await a trade. Cameron Payne, Cameron Johnson and Landry Shamet are battling minor injuries, while Dario Saric was inactive from the final two preseason games for personal reasons.

The backup point-guard and frontcourt roles appear the most uncertain positions of the Phoenix Suns rotation ahead of the regular season.

While Williams may be eager to maintain his rotation at 10 or 11 players, almost every Suns player could be utilized given the concerns over the injuries and form of some. For those reasons, expect to see two-way players Duane Washington Jr. and Ish Wainright suited up and active on opening night.

Washington’s form over the last two preseason games, including a 31-point performance against the Sacramento Kings, all of a sudden leaves an examination on the backup point-guard role.

Payne is the incumbent, yet his late struggles last season have been well documented, and his preseason injury is less than ideal preparation. He’s still earnt the right to hold that position, but there’s now even less wiggle room for him to underperform. Shamet should maintain the backup shooting-guard role, assuming he too has recovered from injury.

Then you come to the frontcourt, a position shortened significantly by the absence of Crowder. Damion Lee provides a safe, consistent option, one that Williams will likely feel comfortable with as a backup small-forward. The same can be said for Torrey Craig at the four, although both he and Lee could face pressure from Josh Okogie who looked more comfortable in his second game against the Kings.

As for backup center, Jock Landale’s form is too hard to ignore. The Australian proved the revelation of Phoenix’s preseason, producing a nice blend of inside-outside skills on both ends of the floor. However, Bismack Biyombo’s chances were revitalised by a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double on Wednesday. He and Landale played together for stretches in that game, so don’t be surprised if Williams utilizes that combination or even a three-headed center rotation.

Whichever way you shape it, the Suns bench is hardly a strength. In fact, the question might be less about who comes off the bench, but more so how Williams rotates his starting five. One of Chris Paul and Devin Booker simply need to be on the floor at all times, allowing lineups to maintain offensive trust and fluency.

The same could be said for having one of Bridges and Johnson on the floor, with fellow wing options emerging as somewhat underwhelming. Most importantly, the form of role players tends to fluctuate significantly across 82 games, meaning Williams will have to sustain flexibility and pick-and-choose moments for different players and lineups.