3 Suns players to watch vs. Denver in second preseason game

Oct 8, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) defends against Phoenix Suns guard Eric Gordon (23) during the first half of a pre-season game at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) defends against Phoenix Suns guard Eric Gordon (23) during the first half of a pre-season game at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
1 of 4

The Phoenix Suns are set to play their second preseason game of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday, but this one isn’t against a bottom-feeder in the Eastern Conference like the Detroit Pistons are. No, this is against the team that won it all last season.

Sure, it’s only the preseason, so it’s not like the Suns’ starters will be playing the Denver Nuggets starters for 40 minutes. However, even with a team like the Nuggets, their bench guys will still be very disciplined and play exactly how their coach, Mike Malone, wants them to play.

They didn’t win the NBA Finals by luck; they are genuinely a dominant team. They are the team to beat, and while this game means nothing for the standings, it will be important to see how the Suns play against a disciplined team with this new roster.

The Suns will bring them all like they did last game. We saw them score 46 points in the first quarter, have a lead by nearly 30 points twice, but almost choke it in overtime. They can’t do that against the Nuggets, even in the preseason.

We know the starters won’t be playing; however, there are three bench guys we should watch for to see how they continue to fit on this team in 2023-24. Here are the guys we hope Vogel Frank gives enough playing time to so we can watch for certain things.