Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia here, the hosts of the daily Locked On Suns podcast, with your daily Locked On Suns newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Suns and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Phoenix Suns injury crisis: Can they survive without key players?
Nov 12, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) reacts to making.a three point shot against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images|Rob Gray/Rob Gray-Imagn Images
In this episode of Locked On Phoenix Suns, we dive into the mounting injury concerns plaguing the Suns and explore what this means for the team’s evaluation and future prospects. With key players like Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and others potentially sidelined, we’re left questioning if we’re back to the same predicament as last season. Let’s break it down.
- Injury Woes: The Suns are facing a challenging situation with injuries to major players. Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and others are either out or questionable for upcoming games. This raises concerns about the team’s ability to evaluate its full potential and make strategic decisions moving forward.
- Historical Context: Reflecting on last season, the Suns faced similar issues with injuries disrupting their lineup. This year, they started strong with a solid record, providing a cushion in the standings. However, the current injury list threatens to derail their momentum.
- Upcoming Challenges: The Suns are entering a tough stretch of games against Western Conference rivals like the Thunder and Kings. These matchups are crucial for playoff positioning, making the timing of these injuries particularly unfortunate.
- Depth and Development: One potential silver lining is the opportunity for younger players to gain valuable experience. With key players out, the Suns can test their depth and see how emerging talents like Oso Iadaro and Ryan Dunn perform under pressure.
- Strategic Adjustments: The hosts discuss the possibility of resting injured players to ensure long-term health. This approach could prevent further aggravation of injuries and allow the team to regroup with a healthier roster.
- Bradley Beal’s Role: A controversial suggestion is to consider moving Bradley Beal to the bench to manage his minutes and reduce injury risk. This strategy aims to preserve his health for the playoffs while still utilizing his skills in critical game moments.
- Load Management: The discussion touches on the concept of load management, particularly for Beal, who has a history of injuries. The idea is to balance his playing time to minimize the risk of further injuries while maintaining team performance.
- Coaching Decisions: The hosts critique the coaching strategy of playing star players for extended minutes, which may contribute to the injury issues. They suggest a more balanced approach to player rotation to sustain team health throughout the season.
- Jersey and Court Design: On a lighter note, the episode concludes with a discussion on the Suns’ new City Edition jerseys and court design. While opinions on the jerseys are mixed, the court design receives praise for its aesthetic appeal.
- Looking Ahead: As the Suns navigate this challenging period, the focus remains on finding ways to adapt and overcome. Whether through strategic player management or embracing the development of younger talents, the goal is to emerge stronger and more cohesive.
Stay tuned for more updates and analysis as the Suns continue their journey through the season. Your support and engagement are invaluable as we cover every twist and turn of this exciting NBA campaign.
I held off on writing about the apparent rash, or rise, of early-season athlete injuries because there’s always some recency bias involved when the subject comes up. Are there really more injuries this year than any other? Do we have the data to support it? Is there a new, underlying cause? Or are injuries due to the same compounding mix of bad luck and the NBA’s 82-game schedule running into a long postseason, running into the offseason, running back into a brand new long regular season and the erosion of bodies this eventually leads to?
A report early this week showed early-season injuries were up 35%, and indeed ESPN’s list of injuries, at a glance, looks like a ferocious Christmas tree, lit up in blazing reds and yellows. A handful of teams (the Grizzlies, Pelicans, Raptors) are cobbling together rosters game-to-game depending on who’s still healthy. TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott ran a draft of the injured list this week and each team reads like an All-Star squad on steroids, and when Abbott printed out the league’s official injury report it was 10 pages long.
Injuries are definitely up — but why?
The Paris Olympics proved extra playing time for a few top-tier stars, but most of them remain healthy. The early season schedule hasn’t served up any more back-to-backs to longer road game stretches, which tend to be more gruelling on athletes, than usual. However, when everything appears to be normal and the bodily price is anything but, perhaps it’s time to examine that “normal”.
The NBA’s current schedule of 82 games was adopted in 1967. Already, I’m sure your brain is picturing black and white basketball, that’s good. When you picture that grainy, glitchy footage, how fast is it going? The reality is that the game used to be a lot slower. Not just in its mechanics (think of an offensive passing sequence, the ball flipping from set of hands to hands at a speed that can be hard to follow), but the athleticism too. Bodies were moving slower. The game was still physical — the trope of players from the 80s and 90s complaining about the “softness” of current athletes is a trope for a reason — but full tilt sprinting, cutting, complex rotations, these weren’t the norm. Given that, the bodily mechanics were different. Guys weren’t stopping on a dime, pivoting hard, having to force their ligaments and muscles and bones into exacting motions with all sorts of volatile force behind them.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Analysis A few weeks into the season, and there have been some surprises. The Athletic looks at eight players to get to know better. (The Athletic, subscription required)
Fans The Phoenix Suns’ new City Edition court is straight fire. The vibrant design is a nod to the city’s unique culture and promises to electrify the game-day experience. (Bright Side of the Sun)
Preview The Suns head to OKC to take on the Thunder in the group stage of the NBA Cup. Read the preview.(NBA)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Replay: Navigating the injury bug
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) holds his leg after a hard following a play against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter at Paycom Center.|Photo by Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
This week in the fantasy basketball world has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. A major talking point has been Chet Holmgren’s unfortunate injury, which has fantasy managers scrambling for replacements as the Oklahoma City Thunder adjust with potential lineup changes. Keep an eye on players like Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace — who might see increased minutes — and consider them as temporary pickups in deeper leagues.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Suns podcasts.
Phoenix Suns No-Show 5th Straight Loss To Knicks, Is the Issue Bigger Than Injuries?
The Phoenix Suns gave up a season-worst 138 points and looked lifeless for much of their fifth straight loss to the New York Knicks. Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia break down the loss, including how much blame Devin Booker deserves and why the defense was so ugly just days after several solid performances.
The Kevin Durant Balancing Act Plus Are the Phoenix Suns Any Closer To An Answer At Center?
As the Phoenix Suns await the return of Kevin Durant, are there ways to balance his workload while still winning and building chemistry? Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia debate KD’s minutes and role before diving into three-headed monster at center and whether the Suns are any closer to addressing that weakness. To close, a preview of Suns-Knicks on Wednesday night.
Phoenix Suns Outmatched By Orlando Magic As Devin Booker Gets Bottled Up Again
The Phoenix Suns lost a third straight game to a tough defensive Orlando Magic team as Devin Booker went quiet once again. Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia react to another Suns L, including why Booker struggled, why they lost, and how they could have overcome Orlando.
