Phoenix Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 1
- Matt Elvy
- Oct 25, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 26, 2021
Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 1: 19 - 24 October 2021
Week Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 1-2. 8th in Western Conference.
Games Played and Results:
L - 98 - 110 Vs Denver Nuggets
W - 115 - 105 @ LA Lakers
L - 105 - 134 @ Portland Trailblazers
Well our 1st week didn't get off to the flying that many of us were expecting. I thought that it'd be a tough week, but seeing the way Portland performed in pre-season, Denver still not having Murray and the Lakers still attempting to gel, I had us winning all 3. Obviously I was wrong.
We looked slow and lethargic in the 2 losses, especially the Portland loss. We were coming off a back-to-back, but we shouldn't be tired at this point in the season.
Booker is still getting his legs under him and is shooting less than 40%. Many of his misses hit the front of the, proving this.
The new guys, Shamet, McGee & Payton all seem to be fitting in to their roles well, so I'm really looking forward to this team getting up to full speed and pulling it all together. Hopefully the 4 days between games will give them plenty of time to regroup.
Superstar Watch:
Booker - 18.3 Points, 4.3 Rebounds, 4.0 Assists, 1.0 Steals, 39.6 FG%, 33.3 3PT FG%, 2.3 Turnovers
Chris Paul - 14.0 Points, 3.7 Rebounds, 11.7 Assists, 1.7 Steals 50.0 FG%, 30.0 3PT FG%, 3.0 Turnovers
Scorching Suns:
Mikal Bridges
After Monty Williams mentioned in a pre-season interview that he sees Mikal as our 3rd option, he has so far, lived up to that expectation.
He was solid in the 2 losses, but he was fantastic in the win against the Lakers. I genuinely can't remember anyone defend LeBron as well as he did and on top of that he dropped 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting.
For the week he averaged 17.0 points on 55.6 FG%, 53.3 3PT FG%, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Struggling Suns:
Devin Booker
After missing most of training camp and playing only 17 minutes of the final pre-season game, it's safe to say that he is still finding his rhythm. He's shown glimpses of the Booker we're used to seeing, especially as he got fired up in the Lakers game, but the consistency is missing. As I mentioned above, many of his missed shots were hitting the front of the rim and missing lay-ups you'd usually make are signs of fatigue and that's all I believe it is. Once he loosens up, he'll be back to his usual self.
Stat Line of the Week:
Mikal Bridges vs LA Lakers
I've mentioned this above, but his defence was awesome and his stat line was just as, maybe even more impressive.
Game stat line:
21 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 8/11 FGs (72.7%) 2/4 3PT FGs (50%).
Honourable mentions:
Landry Shamet Vs Denver Nuggets
11 Points, 3 Rebounds, 4/5 FGs (80.0%) 3/3 3PT FGs (100%).
Rookie Watch:
We have no rookies on the team this year, so there'll be no Rookie Watch this season, unless a trade adds a rookie to the roster.
Upcoming Games:
We have just 2 games this week.
Only 2 games this week, both at home and after 4 and 2 days rest respectively.
These are both very winnable games against a usually underachieving Kings and a still rebuilding Cavaliers. The team will have had plenty of time to watch film and work out what went wrong against Denver and Portland.
I see us winning both of these games.
Predictions League:
Any Other Business:
CP3 Makes History
Chris Paul has made history again and is the 1st player in NBA history to log 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.
New Signing
This is Wainwright's 1st gig on a regular season NBA roster. He's been signed to our 2nd two-way slot and has spent all his career playing around the world. Would be great if this signing could be similar to PJ Tucker's original signing.
After the very unpopular decision to not sign Deandre Ayton to a max rookie contract extension, Robert Sarver was back in the news this week, following this tweet from Jordan Schultz.
Sarver, via the Suns and Mercury social media accounts, released statements to say that the upcoming story is based on lies, so we'll be keeping an eye on where this unfortunate story goes.
Go On My Suns!
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