3 expectations for David Roddy and Royce O'Neale with the Suns
1. Improve the team's perimeter defense
Phoenix ranks 18th in the league when it comes to perimeter defense. The Suns need to make certain improvements in that department to be an effective team in the NBA. The players they had at the start of the season weren't enough to improve their offense, which is why they traded for two tough defenders.
Roddy has a wide frame that helps him to stay in front of whoever he's defending. He's also played the power forward the majority of the time with the Grizzlies.
He's quick on his feet and has the intelligence to lock down the offensive player. Looking at what he's done with Memphis, the forward is smart when it comes to locking down ball handlers and doesn't commit a ton of unnecessary fouls.
Watch David Roddy on this defensive possession pic.twitter.com/AyAumQDq2p
— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) December 10, 2022
The same thing goes for O'Neale, who's a versatile defender around the league. At his height, he can defend point guards until power forwards.
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The product of Baylor University isn't afraid of any matchups and can take on bigger and more talented players than himself. He's aware of positioning himself to have a better advantage, which tends to throw off whoever he's defending. Like Roddy, he doesn't commit fouls that are not needed.
The two forwards can help address the needs that the Suns have had since the season started. As long as they reach these expectations, there's hope that Phoenix can have a deep postseason run.