Around the Suns - A Go On My Suns! blog - Week 14

Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week for the Phoenix Suns, as well as previewing the week ahead.

Week 14: 19-25 January

Week Record: 2-2

Overall Record: 27-19. 6th in the Western Conference.

Games Played and Results:

W - 126 - 117 Vs Brooklyn Nets

W - 116 - 110 Vs Philadelphia 76ers

L - 103 - 110 Vs Atlanta Hawks

L - 102 - 111 Vs Miami Heat

Centre of The Sun

Wow! What a week to be a Suns fan, ay?

From the highs of hearing that Jalen Green would be back on the court in the midst of a successful road trip, to watching him and Book go off injured in the same game.

The road trip ending was certainly what the team needed, but all those missed 3's and struggling to generate decent offence against the Heat was not. That game highlighted how much this team needs Book and why it's always so frustrating seeing all the disrespect he gets from media and other fans.

Jalen returned against the 76ers and showed off his speed, quickness and how he can easily glide to the rim at will, a dynamic that the Suns don't have anywhere else on the roster. He came off the bench, playing xx minutes and scoring 12 points, along with a few nifty assists.

Even in the Hawks game he looked good, even demonstrating those skills, right before leaving the game with tightness in his hamstring. He didn't come up hobbling, but the Suns played it safe and kept him out of the Heat game and there are rumblings he could be back later this week.

Book's injury is a lot more worrying though and was a complete freak accident, which often ends up being some of the most dangerous when it comes to basketball injuries. The team have listed the injury as just a sprained right ankle, and say he'll be re-evaluated in a week, so the earliest we may see him is next Tuesday in Portland. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any long term damage.

Book had been having a very good road trip and the Atlanta game was looking to be one of his best of the season, with 31 points at the end of the 3rd, when the injury occurred. He was even knocking down his 3's, going 5 of 9 to that point.

The other previous games in the week had also been good Book performances, as he scored 24 in Brooklyn and 27 vs the 76ers.

Other Suns Stuff

Another Milestone for Book

Book's 31 points against Atlanta takes him to 350 career 30+ point games.

Superstar Watch (Season stats):

Devin Booker - 25.4 Points, 4.0 Rebounds, 6.2 Assists, 0.9 Steals, 45.6 FG%, 31.3 3PT FG% & 3.3 Turnovers

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Scorching Suns:

Collin Gillespie

Collin gets this spot for the 2nd week in a row thanks to that scorching hot shooting! We'll need that to continue this week.

His stats for the week:

15.3 Points, 4.8 Rebounds, 3.3 Assists, 0.8 Steals, 50.0 FG% & 56.0 3PT FG%

Struggling Suns:

So, I was stuck between choosing Grayson or Royce here, as they've both had a disappointing week. I decided to go with Royce because his main job on the court is to knock down open 3's. He's had plenty of attempts at that, but failed.

Grayson on the other hand is our offensive engine when Book is not available, he also offers more in terms of playmaking and the 3's he attempts have a high degree of difficulty that Royce's

Royce O'Neale

His stats for the week:

8.3 Points, 3.3 Rebounds, 3.8 Assists, 1.0 Steals, 36.7 FG% & 29.2 3PT FG%

Stat Line(s) of the Week:

Devin Booker Vs Atlanta Hawks

In only 3 quarters - thanks to that injury - Book put up 31 points and was on track to potentially have his highest scoring game of the season (current high is 38). He was in control of this game from the start and also found his 3-point stroke.

Game stat line:

31 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal, 12/21 FGs (57.1%) & 5/9 3PT FGs (55.6%)

Collin Gillespie Vs Brooklyn Nets

Game stat line:

22 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 7/10 FGs (70.0%) & 5/7 3PT FGs (71.4%)

Rookie Watch (Season stats):

Khaman Maluach - 19 games, 0 starts

1.3 Points, 1.0 Rebounds, 0.2 Assists, 0.1 Steals, 0.4 Blocks, 40.0 FG%, 0.0 3PT FG% & 0.5 Turnovers

Rasheer Fleming - 25 games, 0 starts

2.5 Points, 1.3 Rebounds, 0.2 Assists, 0.2 Steals, 0.2 Blocks, 34.8 FG%, 20.5 3PT FG% & 0.2 Turnovers

Koby Brea - 2 games

2.0 Points, 0.5 Rebounds, 1.0 Assists, 0.0 Steals, 0.0 Blocks, 33.3 FG%, 0.0 3PT FG% & 0.0 Turnovers

Upcoming Games:

Prediction:

With Book being out all week and no confirmation on when Jalen will be available, I'm not optimistic this week.

I think we will beat the Nets, but lose our other 3 games.

Predictions League:

Here are the league standings after week 14.

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