Key role player primed to make season debut at perfect time for Suns

If there is one area the Phoenix Suns have looked considerably better than last year so far this season, it is undoubtedly with their depth. The offseason additions of Tyus Jones and Monte Morris - plus two excellent draft picks in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro - giving this group plenty of what they were lacking last season.

This team will only ever be as good as their trio of stars allows them to be - although Dunn is doing all he can early to try and change that narrative - but the help from these role players has already had a massively positive impact in the regular season, as the Suns have jumped out to a 4-1 start.

It is somehow about to get even better in The Valley.

That's because Josh Okogie - who is yet to play so far this season as a result of a hamstring issue - is off the injury report and likely to make his season debut against the Portland Trail Blazers. This comes at a great time for the team, as the 2-4 Trail Blazers are exactly the type of opponent to ease Okogie back into action against.

It is clear they are going to be one of the worst teams in the league this season, and are in the middle of a rebuild. No game is guaranteed - and it would be very Suns like to end up in a dogfight here against an inferior opponent - but this looks like the prime opportunity to have Okogie come off the bench.

Should he get some game time as everybody expects that he will, this could be looked at two ways depending on your early opinions of Dunn. Either he gets in the way of one of the most productive rookies in the class early in the season, or this gives Dunn a chance to play a few less minutes and in turn have less pressure on his shoulders to produce.

Fantastic as he has been on both ends of the court, a rookie wall comes for all players, and Dunn will be no exception. It has been a blistering start to the campaign for him, so giving him a few less minutes than the 18.6 he's already averaging - which include a pair of starts - is likely to be the direction head coach Mike Budenholzer goes with this.

Another intriguing layer to the role of Okogie is how more playing time could increase his trade value. Although he might provide some respite for Dunn for a couple of games, everybody knows that the rookie is the future at that position. It would be better to get something for Okogie now - who signed a two-year, $16 million contract this offseason - and see if a new player can help this group.

Okogie's eye-raising contract was handed out with the intention of creating the kind of number that could allow a second apron organization like the Suns to get access to some trades that would have otherwise alluded them. Great and all as that sounds, they do actually need another team to want Okogie, which is why getting him game time now is the right move here. A timely boost for the Suns.