The good, the bad, and the ugly of the Suns’ preseason so far

Do you know what the most annoying thing about the preseason is? Trying to figure out what the hell actually matters. And am I allowed to have an opinion on any of it? If you do and it’s perceived as negative, you’re a hater. If it’s positive, you’re a fan boy. What happened to watch, process, and report?

I get it. The games don’t count in the standings. The rotations are incomplete. Starters aren’t playing 36 minutes, coaches are experimenting with combinations that may never see the light of day once the regular season begins, and winning is rarely the primary objective. It makes evaluating what we’re watching an exercise in selective interpretation. You see something you like, you convince yourself it’s a sign of things to come. You see something concerning, you remind yourself that it’s only October.

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We’ve been down this road before. The Phoenix Suns have gone 4-2 in the preseason, giving us plenty of reasons to believe that something special was brewing, only for those performances to mean absolutely nothing once the games started counting. I’m looking at you, 2016-17. There’s a reason we approach these exhibitions with skepticism. History has taught us to.

And yet, here I am, two games into the preseason, trying to make sense of what I’ve watched. I’ve spent much of the offseason expressing optimism about this team. I believe in the identity they’re attempting to establish. I believe continuity, culture, defensive intensity, and a commitment to playing a more physical brand of basketball can provide a legitimate pathway to success. But optimism has a funny way of allowing you to overlook the things you already know are going to be problems.

We entered this season understanding that the Suns have deficiencies. There are areas of the game where their roster construction creates legitimate concerns, challenges that effort and enthusiasm alone won’t necessarily overcome. We can talk ourselves into believing that defensive intensity will create additional possessions, that continuity will improve execution, and that a renewed culture will help swing close games in their favor. And perhaps all of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/good-bad-ugly-suns-preseason-230000447.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-08 23:00:00

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