Devin Booker’s incandescent scoring pops, but his historic production still isn’t leading to wins. What’s the precedent for this level of individual brilliance coupled with team futility? Devin Booker’s scored 109 points in the last two NBA basketball games he’s played. You know this because it’s insane. You also probably know his team is 0-2
Phoenix Suns
The hits just keep on coming for the Lakers. Seriously, it’s getting to the point where you wonder, how could it possibly get any worse? The Lakers definitely had holes in their roster, but what’s happened this season was the absolute worst-case scenario. It would take a miracle for them to make the playoffs now,
Welcome to The Whiteboard, your daily source for the previous day’s best NBA content from around the internet, plus an original column. Catch The Whiteboard here on The Step Back, and subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The Phoenix Suns need Deandre Ayton to be very good. Phoenix is
The craziness that was the NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone with multiple deals being made, including some big ones that sort of shook up the landscape of the Eastern Conference. Not only that, but buyout season has arrived as well with teams looking to add pieces for a playoff push. Here at Basketball
Deandre Ayton ignores all the noises and is focused on his ultimate goal of making the Phoenix Suns an NBA powerhouse. Phoenix Suns rookie center Deandre Ayton has hit the ground running in the NBA, and he doesn’t plan on slowing up anytime soon. Ayton speaks with confidence belying his age — he won’t turn 21
As we approach the trade deadline this season, rumors, speculation, and reports will begin to circulate on social media. Some may be grounded, others may be purely opinion-based. Regardless of what comes up, there is always one guarantee: Trades will be made. Whether teams are trying to improve their roster before the playoffs, mix up
Back by the popular demand of pretty much only myself, it’s the second annual edition of Around the NBA in 15 Trades. We’re taking all 30 teams in the lead up to the Feb. 7 trade deadline and finding a happy middle ground for prosperous barterdom. For Day 3, we take a dive into the lottery
Grit-and-Grind is unfolding, and it’s unfolding fast. After a blistering 12-5 start to the season, the Grizzlies are falling hard in the standings. The team has only won seven of its last 27 games – good for a record of 19-25 – which has them placed currently 14th in the bloodbath that is the Western
For a No. 1 overall pick who is averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field, Deandre Ayton catches a whole lot of criticism in certain corners of the basketball internet. Whether it’s for lackadaisical pick-and-roll defense or poor rim-protection numbers or simply having
It’s almost January and the 2018-19 NBA season is nearly halfway over. And while lots of attention is already being paid to Zion Williamson and the 2019 NBA Draft class to-be, let’s look back to June and the 2018 NBA draft and grade the rookies on their performances thus far, while making an educated guess
It’s almost January and the 2018-19 NBA season is nearly halfway over. And while lots of attention is already being paid to Zion Williamson and the 2019 NBA Draft class to-be, let’s look back to June and the 2018 NBA draft and grade the rookies on their performances thus far, while making an educated guess
It’s almost January and the 2018-19 NBA season is nearly halfway over. And while lots of attention is already being paid to Zion Williamson and the 2019 NBA Draft class to-be, let’s look back to June and the 2018 NBA draft and grade the rookies on their performances thus far, while making an educated guess
Is there any word that excites fans more about an individual player than “potential?” Hardly anyone comes into this league a finished product. With rare exceptions like Tyreke Evans and Michael Carter-Williams, almost every player that makes it in the NBA gets better after their rookie season. Some young players need more time than others.
Is there any word that excites fans more about an individual player than “potential?” Hardly anyone comes into this league a finished product. With rare exceptions like Tyreke Evans and Michael Carter-Williams, almost every player that makes it in the NBA gets better after their rookie season. Some young players need more time than others.
The Phoenix Suns are once again in the NBA basement, and frustrations might be boiling over between the team’s two young stars. Sports can be a lot of fun when your team is winning. The problem for the Phoenix Suns, though, is that wins are a very difficult thing to come by. They are 4-22,
The 2018-19 Phoenix Suns were supposed to be stepping towards better days. Instead, they may be the worst team in NBA history. The 2018-19 edition of the Phoenix Suns is 4-24, a record they didn’t expect to have 28 games into the season. Sure, they were not playoff contenders or anything, but they weren’t projected to
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 12: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns exchanges handshakes with the the Philadelphia 76ers after the game during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 12, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
The Phoenix Suns lack depth at point guard, so who could they bring in to fill the void? Consistently banged up and an increasingly poor fit for their ongoing rebuild, the Phoenix Suns traded Brandon Knight to the Houston Rockets during the offseason. That also removed the team’s likely starting point guard for this season,
As this season began, several NBA teams had to make huge decisions about offering extensions to players nearing the end of their rookie contracts. Twenty games later, how are those decisions looking? Before this year’s Halloween deadline for NBA teams to sign players in the fourth year of rookie contracts signed in 2015 to extensions,
Devin Booker wants to build a superteam in Phoenix — which might be a little easier said than done — but at least he’s committed. If there’s one thing Phoenix Suns fans can’t question about Devin Booker, it’s his determination. Though Booker has spent the early years of his young career playing for a borderline
The coaching situation for the Phoenix Suns hasn’t exactly been optimal since Mike D’Antoni left the team after the 2007-08 season. The Suns have basically been in a rebuild since, and outside of a surprise Western Conference Finals run in 2010 with Alvin Gentry, coaching has been an issue for them. Terry Porter, Gentry, Jeff
Rookie Cards is a weekly column tracking the performance and development of the 2018 rookie class, focusing on three players every week. This week features Deandre Ayton, Trae Young and Josh Okogie. The 2018 NBA Draft was looked at as one of the deeper groups in recent memory, with a handful of potential superstars, several players
Leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft, Mikal Bridges was lauded as a high-floor, low-ceiling 3-and-D wing who could step into a role and contribute immediately. When the Philadelphia 76ers — a team eyeing the NBA Finals — selected him with the No. 10 pick, all of it made sense. He went to Villanova, his
With Opening Night of the NBA season just 8 days away, the Phoenix Suns on Monday stunningly fired GM Ryan McDonough after 5 years on the job. The Phoenix Suns last reached the postseason in 2010 and last season had the franchise’s worst record since their expansion season of 1968-69. After five years and diminishing
The Philadelphia 76ers have found themselves in quite the predicament. On Wednesday, multiple people reported that, after all of the struggles he has endured in his short time in Philadelphia, former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz would prefer a fresh start with a new team. While his agent has since denied that any formal trade
Washington came into Tuesday night’s game with a pathetic record of 5-11. They were down by as many as 24 points. Boos rained upon them on the court. It appeared as though it was curtains for these Wizards. Even with all the crap that they had gone through, both on and off the court, Washington
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 7: Tyson Chandler #5 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers exchange handshakes against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 7, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the