The Phoenix Suns finally returned to the court on Monday, as they traveled to Detroit to take on the Pistons. The score is irrelevant (a two-point loss); what matters more is how comfortable Miles Bridges looked in his first game. Not only that, but Head Coach Jordan Ott turned a five-man group loose in the first quarter that fans will quickly fall in love with.
Devin Booker plus two point guards is a nightmare for opponents
The lineup in question saw Devin Booker slide to the three alongside a pair of point guards in Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Dillon Brooks remained on the court, with center Khaman Maluach completing the group. The 20-year-old lost the initial battle to start the game to Oso Ighodaro, but made up for it alongside Booker and company.
This group allowed Booker to focus on shooting and not setting up his teammates, a duty he shared with Jalen Green in the early going of the game. Goodwin immediately took the assignment of guarding the toughest opponent, while Gillespie looked for his teammates when he had the ball.
Brooks continued being overly physical, which had led to an early technical foul. So much for that summer spent in the mountains of China to level his head. But he once again proved in a preseason game that he can successfully guard small and quick opponents and bruising forwards while getting under the skin of the likes of John Collins.
Maluach was the nice surprise here, and you could see why the front office has so much belief in his potential. His size immediately gave the Pistons problems when paired with Booker, who got double and even triple-teamed, as Maluach found himself with a ton of space to operate.
Suns will have huge success in spots using this group
This lineup stays true to Coach Ott's desire to be a top-10 defensive group, while also allowing Booker to be the primary scorer once again. Maluach gets the space to shine with an offensive game still in its infancy, and Brooks... well, he can continue being Brooks.
To have this group play 10-12 minutes a night and still have Bridges and Green in reserve speaks to the depth that the Suns have quietly created. Luke Kennard could have some joy in place of Gillespie to create additional space, and we will likely see that in the coming preseason tilts.
Overreacting to a single preseason game is never the smart way to approach these games. But there is no doubt the Suns have already cooked up something special with this group.
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