After struggling for much of the first half the season with injury woes, the Suns made several blockbuster deals at the trade deadline that shook much of the CSL world and remolded the Suns into a very different team. Out were all-rising Star Andrew Wiggins, sharp-shooter Hollis Thompson and some draft picks. In were reigning DPOY Okaro White and versatile 3&D guard CJ McCollum. The moves transformed the Suns into a defensive powerhouse that feasted on turnovers, while still having the scoring depth to score efficiently (the Suns ended the year as the 3rd best offense in terms of pts/100 possessions). The result had the Suns finishing the year 23-7 after the all-star break and shoot up the standings to capture their 1st Pacific crown and grab the #2 seed.
Okaro White brings an efficient offensive game to go with his all-world defense
While the Suns eyed a legitimate post-season run for the first time, fate had other plans, as Okaro White suffered a broken arm on 12Apr. Just like that, White’s season was over, and with it, a vital cog on the Suns team. White’s defensive prowess is well known, but his offense is a bit overlooked. While he has no 3-point range to speak of, he has an excellent jumper to go along with an efficient inside game. After arriving in Phoenix, White scored 10.6 points on 54% shooting in 25 games. While those aren’t offensive numbers that would scare opponents, they do show the kind of scoring depth he provided for the Suns. While defenses focus on stopping Bledsoe, Wright and Austin, White routinely contributed efficient scoring to ease the scoring burden for a team that’s built on taking advantage of the offensive mismatch, wherever that may be.In the first round of the playoffs, the Suns were able to sneak by the Blazers in 6 games, while playing guards at the SF position to make up for White, as the team feels 2nd year player Hilliard is not ready for big minutes at the SF spot yet. Through 4 games in the second round, it appears the Jazz are just too good and too deep for the Suns to overcome.
We’ll never know what could have been for this Suns team had they stayed healthy, but that’s a part of the game. Several teams have to deal with critical injuries at inopportune times on an annual basis, and you either find a way to overcome them or you find yourself watching another team put on the crown.
2028
