The Phoenix Suns might be down two of their three All-Star players right now, but that hasn't stopped them getting off to a hot start this season. The Sacramento Kings may also have shown in two victories over the Suns that there are obvious ways to beat them, but this season is still shaping up nicely.
Everybody from Josh Okogie - with his team-high 25 points in the second loss to the Kings - and backup point guard Monte Morris are suddenly playing their part, while the likes of Ryan Dunn and Royce O'Neale are playing the roles of legitimate rotation players for this roster, whether that is starting or coming off the bench.
This is a far cry from the Drew Eubanks experience of last season.
We know, it is painful to even cast your mind back to that dark time. But Eubanks was the backup center for the Suns who showed a lot of fight and heart when out there, but not a lot else. Too small for certain matchups, and not skilled enough to make up for it on the other end, Eubanks never looked like a long-term solution in The Valley.
It was puzzling to see the Utah Jazz snap him up so soon after free agency officially began in the offseason, but their goals are different to the Suns. In his lone year in Phoenix, Eubanks managed 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 75 games, of which six were starts. This was despite Jusuf Nurkic remaining healthier than anybody thought possible throughout the campaign.
He did shoot 3-pointers and he got to line just over one time in 15.6 minutes of action per game. Somehow it has gotten even worse since landing in Utah, with Eubanks averaging 3.9 points and rebounds, while appearing in seven games so far. Unsurprisingly none of these have been starts, with the minutes (12.6) also taking a tumble.
Contrast that with the situation that Phoenix has put itself in now. Mason Plumlee has been an excellent addition, and at 34-years-old is a much better fit in a Mike Budenholzer team. He's got a much bigger frame to work inside, while his handles for a guy of that size continue to impress.
His 5.0 points and 5.8 rebounds might not look like much, but Suns fans sure feel a lot better when they see him checking into the game. He's already managed a start and appeared in all 12 games played, and he's getting 17.3 minutes of action. Perhaps it is because they have certain similarities, but the level and style of play doesn't drop or change as much when Plumlee replaces Nurkic either.
After a season of Drew Eubanks, Mason Plumlee might just be Jesus reincarnate https://t.co/rCqfZn4yHw
— Gav (EUROPEAN CHAMPION) (@TzolakiSZN) November 13, 2024
Maybe coach Budenholzer could have done something different with Eubanks, but that doesn't seem likely. Instead the Suns would have had a worse rotation than they do now, with smaller guys like Tyus Jones and Morris getting exposed horribly when out there with Eubanks. Plumlee is such an upgrade here.
Perhaps the most revealing stat of all is the fact that - when the Suns beat the Jazz in the Emirates NBA Cup recently - Eubanks played a grand total of three minutes. This despite the center being a position of weakness for the Suns, relevant to other areas on the court. If you can't get on the court to go against the person who replaced you, it says it all really.