3 Suns players to watch closely the rest of this preseason

The Phoenix Suns have a few new faces, but return the majority of their core from a season ago. Jordan Ott has the tough task of figuring out how to best mix and match this group.

The Suns are on a mission to figure out who to keep and who to give minutes in the rotation on a deep squad. Everything else is just noise.

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Context: This trio was hand-selected BEFORE the opening preseason game in Detroit. I will not let one preseason game filled with experimentation sway my opinion too strongly here. We still have four more of these things to go before the regular-season opener.

Here’s who we should all be focused on, outside of the young(er) fellas.

1) Pat Spencer

Pat Spencer played the LEAST amount of minutes on the team in the preseason opener, so I feel good about keeping him number one on this list. He received 7 total minutes and was not much of a factor, attempting just two shots and splitting a pair of free throws for 1 point.

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His time will come in the preseason to get a fair look, but ultimately it’s important to remember that he is on a two-way contract. It is unlikely that he will receive playing time in a perfect world where everyone is healthy.

But the reality is, injuries happen. And when they do, Pat Spencer will be ready to go. It’s in his DNA.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 28: PatSpencer #61 of the Phoenix Suns poses for a portrait during NBA media day on September 28, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

2) Haywood Highsmith

Call me crazy, but I still believe in Haywood Highsmith. At least as a useful rotation piece, nothing crazy or anything.

He has battled through a lot and is clearly not 100% the old version of himself, and that’s okay for now. They have the depth for him to build back up to where he needs to be in the meantime.

Highsmith is likely in a battle for the final roster spot with Jamaree Bouyea at this point. Everything points to it being between those two, barring an injury.

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He had a rough preseason debut, recording 5 turnovers in 16 minutes, but did rack up 4 boards and connected on his only shot attempt….

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Publish date : 2026-10-07 12:00:00

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