The Phoenix Suns have needed help from unexpected places to begin the season the way that they have, but few would have had Isaiah Livers as a regular contributor on this roster. But despite a slow start to the season, and with injuries helping his cause, that's exactly what the forward has done in recent games.
Livers pushing hard for more minutes in Phoenix.
The recent victory over the sorry Indiana Pacers the latest reminder of what he can do when given the chance, having been picked up after missing all of last season through injury. Livers played 20 minutes and although he didn't have any stats of note, being used at all is a clear indication that head coach Jordan Ott trusts him in his schemes on both ends of the court.
The stat sheet will not pop out to you but Isaiah Livers is winning his minutes in PHX while Jalen Green misses time. Every time he’s in the game it seems like he is making the most out of his minutes and just making the right play. pic.twitter.com/pP4thhnct0
— PJ on Gameday🏜️ (@ValleyPat_) November 11, 2025
Livers is effectively the Suns' ninth man while Jalen Green is out injured, but even when he returns, he's making a case to get more run. Good things are happening when he is on the court, and right now the team are giving up an absurd 96.5 points when he's on the court. The sample size is still relatively small, but that would obviously represent the best number in the entire NBA.
It is that commitment to making a difference defensively that has also seen Livers win the battle for playing time with a guy who many expected to flourish in Phoenix in Nigel Hayes-Davis. He had only eight minutes in that game, and despite the Suns playing well has struggled for consistency or a signature game or moment at this point.
Contrast that with Livers, who despite still averaging only a shade over 11 minutes each night and having only appeared in eight games so far, is trending upwards. While rookies like Khaman Maluach are being sent to the G League to develop, and with the Suns continuing to need both rebounding and paint scoring, it is Livers who is being trusted more and more.
Sunday's disappointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks again saw Livers play his part, and this time he had six points and five rebounds in 17 minutes. With Oso Ighodaro struggling for consistency, he can look great one game and be absent the next, it is no surprise coach Ott has him coming off the bench for important stretches.
The fact he is shooting a modest 35.7 percent from 3-point range is an added bonus, although at less than two attempts per game (a career low) he is hardly being featured offensively. Still, a nice weapon for the Suns to have on both ends of the court who in some ways has quietly become everything it was hoped Hayes-Davis could be. Another excellent addition in The Valley.