NBA fans, the day we have all been waiting for is finally here. The NBA season tips off tonight with a fantastic doubleheader. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks square off in the TD Garden, while the Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately for Suns fans, they will not be opening tonight, but they will see action the next night. The Phoenix Suns have their season opener Wednesday night. They play the Los Angeles Clippers, let’s look at three players to keep an eye on.
3 Suns to Watch in the Season Opener
Jusuf Nurkic
For Jusuf Nurkic, it is key that he looks fundamentally sound in the season opener. Nurkic, at training camp, was said to “feel the best he has”. Coach Mike Budenholzer has led fans to know that Nurkic will be utilizing his three-point shot more often this season. Unfortunately for him, he only had one game to showcase that this preseason, as he was injured with a left middle finger injury.
In the game, he did look solid in only 17 minutes, so there is reason for optimism going into the season. We also saw with Nurkic last year, he’s the main contributor for this team on the glass. He needs to make sure that role is still known this year. If he can keep up the domination on the glass by grabbing boards while stretching the floor he could be deadly this season. One key to watch is how he looks only after having one preseason game if there is rust to get it off early. For the Suns to be successful, Nurkic needs to bring constant flow to the team.
Tyus Jones
One of the Suns’ most-needed acquisitions this offseason, Tyus Jones brings great playmaking to this starting lineup. So far, Tyus has brought that needed playmaking on great value. Throughout the preseason, in just four games, he had 21 assists with only five turnovers. He averaged 4.2 assists per assist in only four games. Even with this small sample size, you can see the impact this will make for this team.
The Suns had the sixth most turnovers per game last season, which was a glaring issue within the team. Expect Tyus to command this offense and set up the Big-three for the best situations. In the opener, watch the offensive flow with Tyus in. Does it seem to be more fluid? Is he making the right play? If he answers these questions correctly, it only shows how big of an addition he is to this team.
Ryan Dunn
I won’t lie to you all, I definitely saved the best for last. If there is anyone you should be watching tomorrow, it is Suns rookie Ryan Dunn. Dunn was viewed as mainly a defensive prospect with very little offensive upside. This is due to his lack of three-point attempts and percentage in college last year at Virginia. Well, not only has he shocked Suns fans, but fans around the league and put his name on notice during the preseason. With the hiring of Mike Budenholzer as head coach, fans expected the three-ball would be prioritized more often. One thing fans did not expect, though, was the rookie looking to be one of their better perimeter shooters.
Dunn averaged 43% from three-point range this preseason across five games. He also tallied an average of 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks, which goes to show you he is dynamic on both sides of the floor. Dunn has put himself in a prime situation here in Phoenix. The Suns already have some great wing shooters alongside the Big three, including Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. Adding Dunn to the mix alongside them goes to show you the depth they have in this position. For Dunn, it is all about sticking the course and competing for a rotation spot.
Since he proved his skills in the preseason, he should be able to showcase his skills to find that role. Once he does, then it is only up from here for himself and the organization as we see him blossom into a terrific 3-and-D wing. In the opener, I would watch to see how many minutes he gets. This will determine how he fits, and we see how he stands out offensively or defensively. This gives us a better evaluation as a whole for him as a rookie.
