Duop Reath landing with the Phoenix Suns as a training camp invite was a surprise, but his ability to space the court at the center position may just be the key to getting the best out of this team's odd collection of starters.
Reath's ability to unclog lane massive for Booker and company
We have already established that the Suns' four starters (not including Mark Williams or whoever takes his place) have all individually averaged over 20 points per game in the last two seasons. Devin Booker won't see his own role regress offensively, meaning Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Miles Bridges must sacrifice shots and change how they play for this to work.
That looked like a difficult ask with Williams anchoring the paint, as he was set to be inside looking for touches of his own and to hammer the offensive glass. That will also be the case when Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro take the court, as neither boasts the kind of consistent offense that opponents respect.
Reath changes all of that because he can step outside and bury a 3-pointer, with the Suns not having a true stretch five for this decade so far (unless you could Bol Bol. The streets will never forget Bol Bol). He took less than two per game last season, but still connected on 41.7 percent of them.
What this means for the Suns is that Green all of a sudden may have a clearer path to the basket if Reath takes his man out of the paint while one of Brooks or Bridges does the same thing. Brooks had a down year from deep in his first campaign in The Valley at 34.4 percent, but we've seen him get in touching distance (39.7 percent) recently with the Houston Rockets.
There would also be more space in the mid-range for Booker to operate, while Bridges would have the luxury of not having the defense collapse in on him when he goes to work.
Reath starting won't happen right away, but will become a question
It is madness to get this excited about a training camp invitee who, in theory, is the third-string center in Phoenix if he even makes the final 15-man roster at all.
But Reath is such a different player to Maluach and Ighodaro (which is unfortunate for the springy and athletic third-year pro) that quickly gaining minutes with the starters might just be what happens here.
Defensively, he doesn't figure to give up a ton either, which surely factored into the Suns' decision to bring him in in the first place. Spacing issues will be tackled with his inclusion, a luxury this franchise has not had at the five in quite some time.
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