Suns Nightly

Devin Booker is still the center of everything. Last season he averaged 26.1 points, 6.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 33.5 minutes over 64 games, with a plus-minus of 3.1. He shot 33.0 percent from three. Dillon Brooks was the second-leading scorer at 20.2 points in 56 games, and he shot 34.4 percent from deep. Miles Bridges played 77 games and averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Jalen Green played only 32 games, but he scored 17.8 points in 25.9 minutes. Collin Gillespie played 80 games and was the best shooter in the main rotation. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.6 assists and hit 40.1 percent from three. If Green stays on the floor, Phoenix has four players who scored at least 17 points a night last season.

Three rotation players are gone. Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are both with the Hornets now. Haywood Highsmith is a free agent and is unsigned. That is a lot of wing depth to replace. Phoenix will lean on players already on the roster. Jordan Goodwin played 70 games last season and averaged 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 37.1 percent from three. Ryan Dunn played 70 games and gave the Suns 19.4 minutes a night, 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. Oso Ighodaro played all 82 games and averaged 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, with a plus-minus of 2.0. The group also has young pieces. Rasheer Fleming is 22 and in his second year. Koa Peat is a 19-year-old rookie forward. Both will be pushing for minutes.

Phoenix starts the season without two rotation players. Mark Williams is out with a left shoulder injury, and his estimated return is Feb. 3, 2027. That is a big hole in the frontcourt. Last season Williams averaged 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 23.6 minutes over 60 games. He led this group in rebounding. With Williams out, more center minutes go to Khaman Maluach, a 20-year-old in his second season, and Duop Reath, who is 30. Luke Kennard is out with a left knee injury, and his estimated return is Oct. 24. That date lines up with the home game against Golden State. Kennard was the best shooter on the team last season. He hit 47.8 percent from three in 78 games and averaged 8.4 points in 21.5 minutes. His return would help replace the shooting that left with Allen.

The last spots on the roster changed this week. The Suns claimed Drew Timme off waivers, and he is now on the roster as a 26-year-old forward. Phoenix is converting Duop Reath to a two-way contract, per reports on Oct. 19. CJ Huntley was waived by the Suns, as reported by John Gambadoro. The Suns are also set to waive Koby Brea, according to reports. Notes from Oct. 20 covered Ishbia, KD, Brooks, Kennard, the rotation and Fleming. Western notes from Oct. 22 mentioned Maluach. None of those notes add up to a confirmed transaction. Treat them as reporting, not as finished moves. The roster now lists 17 players. Kennard and Williams are both on it while they are out injured.

The first five games are a hard test. Phoenix opens at Portland on Oct. 21. The home opener is Oct. 24 against Golden State, and that game is on NBA TV. Then the Suns go to Oklahoma City on Oct. 26. They come home to face Denver on Oct. 30 in an Emirates NBA Cup game. They finish the stretch at Golden State on Nov. 2. That means two games against the Warriors in the first five, plus road trips to Portland and Oklahoma City. Phoenix plays all five of these games without Williams, and Kennard is expected back only around the Golden State home game. The early weeks will show whether Booker, Brooks, Bridges, Green and Gillespie can carry a thin frontcourt until Williams gets back.