The Phoenix Suns are off to a hot start in 2024-25, and currently occupy the second spot in the Western Conference. It is still far too early to predict how the regular season will go for this team - although they're already correcting the mistakes of last time out - but there's no doubt fans are happy with what they've seen.
It may be that Kevin Durant and Devin Booker - who have taken turns leading the way in the scoring department and will continue to do so all season - cancel each other out for any serious MVP talk, but neither is likely to care about that. It is all about winning a championship, and they've gotten out to the best possible start to achieve this.
But not every Suns player on this roster is happy with their situation.
This team is so much deeper than last season - legitimately 10 deep at this point - which has meant that some of the players on the periphery are being pushed even further away from a serious role. Whether it is less minutes than before, not fulfilling the role they hoped or not even playing, these three Suns have been left behind early by head coach Mike Budenholzer.
3. Monte Morris
We hate to say we told you so. It is not often this writer gets to take a victory lap - and in this instance it doesn't even feel right to do so - but point guard Monte Morris was always going to struggle for a serious role once the organization went and got Tyus Jones.
It did feel like the Suns correctly went and got Morris early to fix their point guard woes of last season, only to then jump and the opportunity to get Jones when nobody thought it was possible. It is brilliant to have Morris as the backup here, but the backcourt is already crowded with Bradley Beal, Booker and Jones the three primary rotation options there.
All three may be starters - Ryan Dunn is doing all he can early to take that role from Beal - but behind them Grayson Allen, Royce O'Beale and even the recently returned Josh Okogie are all vying for minutes. It has meant Morris has been limited to just 9.3 so far - although he has appeared in every game - and it is hard to see that changing outside of injuries to his teammates.
This is an excellent problem for the Suns to have, as Morris can easily step into a bigger role if required. For the player though, it is hard to think this was what he had in mind when he went to The Valley, even after Jones also joined him. He'll remain a great backup to have, but less than 10 minutes per game surely isn't enough for a guy who could have easily gotten more run elsewhere.
2. Damion Lee
Damion Lee probably isn't overly surprised to find himself here, although he surely expected more than the single appearance he has managed so far this season, an 18 minute cameo in the win over the Dallas Mavericks in which he managed two points and as many assists.
It was always going to be difficult for Lee to get regular run here for some of the same reasons it is for Morris. Lee works best as a shooting guard who the stars create space for so that he can knock down roughly 40 percent of his 3-point efforts. Only the Suns now have Allen and O'Neale for that, and this roster appears to have moved on without him.
This one hurts because Lee is a popular figure in Phoenix, but missing all of last season with a meniscus injury that required surgery meant the roster got by without him. Ironically there would have been much more use for him last time out, with Beal limited to 53 games through injury and Jones and Morris playing elsewhere.
Lee will still get some chances to impress here and there, but he is equally going to see even more DNPs. This rotation is in a really nice place right now, and it is hard to see how Lee makes this group any better in any real way. Which is a shame, and his minimum deal that expires in 2025 means he is unlikely to get traded either. On the bright side though, Lee should get a chance elsewhere in future.
1. Bol Bol
This is a puzzling one, but not for the reasons you might expect. It's not that Bol Bol isn't a limited player in this league - at this stage we can all accept that that's the case and is unlikely to ever change - it is just he figured so prominently in preason play.
He appeared in every game and logged 16.6 minutes of action, including a 28 minute performance in a win over the Denver Nuggets that included 14 points and four made 3-pointers. To go from that to not seeing a single minute of action so far is strange, although the results do speak for themselves.
It is crazy to think that former head coach Frank Vogel - the defensive-minded individual that he is - somehow found a spot for one of the worst defenders in the league. Meanwhile coach Budenholzer - who turned Brook Lopez into "Splash Mountain" with the Milwaukee Bucks - somehow doesn't think Bol's unique offfensive skills can help this group.
Really though this just speaks to the fact that the Suns aren't as desperate as they were last season. Back then they were looking for any juice they could get from their bench, and Bol obliged in spots. But this rotation has now levelled up beyond what he is capable of, which is going to lead to a lot more sitting for one of the most beloved players and teammates in the game.