3 Phoenix Suns who need monster second halves to save their jobs
By Luke Duffy
1. Drew Eubanks
Backup big man Drew Eubanks hit the headlines for all of the wrong reasons prior to the All-Star break, after he was punched in the face by Isaiah Stewart of the Detroit Pistons before a game between the two. Eubanks did play that game more fired up than usual, but still finished with a pedestrian six points and as many boards.
The opinion of Eubanks seems to vary wildly from game to game, and to much more extreme degrees compared to other players on the roster. One night he's the ideal backup to Nurkic, playing solid minutes and giving the Suns some juice defensively. Yet on others - and these nights seem to be more frequent - he is frustrating to watch and doesn't appear to do much of anything.
Next. Should the Suns have any interest in drafting Bronny James?. Should the Suns have any interest in drafting Bronny James?. dark
The 16 minutes per game he is managing is his lowest since 2020, although like Okogie Eubanks seems like he has been in the league longer than you would think. Still only 26-years-old, it would be harsh to say he has been a disaster since joining the franchise last summer. Really the main threat to Eubanks losing his job here is the fact he may not be needed come the playoffs.
As things stand even Nurkic has sit entire fourth quarters so that Durant can play as this team's center, which means Eubanks has little chance of seeing the court if that's the direction coach Vogel goes. He's a fine player sometimes, and a not so good player on others, and the Suns will need more than than from the backup big man to win a championship.