7 season-defining questions for the Phoenix Suns to answer
By Luke Duffy
4. Who is their fifth starter?
An underrated question the Suns will need to answer is in some ways the most pressing. Head coach Frank Vogel will want a settled starting five, and the good news for him is that four spots have been decided since the moment the organization traded Ayton for Nurkic.
The star trio plus Nurkic will start every game they can together, which leaves only the fifth spot and two real candidates for the position. Right now it looks like Josh Okogie has won the race, both because of his defensive abilities and the continuity he has having played on this roster last season.
Allen is the real threat to Okogie for the spot, and for good reason. As nice as Okogie can be defensively, he is a known quantity and one that opponents sagged off during the playoffs last year. He can hit a 3-point shot when open, he just doesn’t do it as often as the team would like. He is also not much of a playmaker or offensive threat when left on an island with a defender.
On the other hand, Allen is the better 3-point shooter and has more experience in bigger spots with his previous team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Opponents will be far less comfortable leaving him open, while on the defensive end he is not that much of a downgrade over Okogie. Certainly when you factor in his ball-handling and ability to create, Allen has a lot going for him.
This will become Allen’s spot if he wants it, although being a fantastic sixth man could actually work against him here. Another role he absolutely has the ability to be. Look out for Bates-Diop to come up on the outside here too. Although not currently favored, he could get back into this race if he takes his chance early with the group.