How Top Role Players Complete Suns' Lineup
The Phoenix Suns' star-studded cast of players include lethal midrange shooters, versatile defenders and imposing paint forces, but the Suns have still yet to define their own individual roles on a team coached by 11-year NBA veteran Frank Vogel.
Vogel knows what he has on his hands as far as the Suns' starting lineup. The major question will be the fifth starter, presumably in the forward position. As role players have become the beloved workhorses for championship franchises over the past few years, the importance for role players complimenting the team's elite has heightened.
Suns' bench will be key in finding the best chemistry with a team loaded with individual talent.
It was reported that Vogel will be looking to switch up the fifth starter throughout the year in order to find the right fit, but forward Josh Okogie will be the frontrunner to begin the year.
Regardless of who will begin the game on the floor, each role player will be projected to bring their skillset, and it will be Vogel and the Suns’ staff that will figure it all out.
Here’s how three Suns role players will fit in with the rest of the starting lineup:
Yuta Watanabe- Forward
The 6’10” Japanese born Watanabe will be a high-effort, two-way player for the Suns. When Watanabe is on the floor, expect his role handling the ball to be minor and more of an emphasis on spot up shooting. Watanabe is entering his sixth season in the NBA and holds a career 39 percent 3-point shot during regular season games.
Watanabe could fit in nicely with Devin Booker or Kevin Durant when the two players are driving, attracting attention to the paint and pulling in perimeter defenders to the two scoring giants. Phoenix fans can expect Watanabe to be circling the perimeter, waiting for a catch and shoot three.
While the lengthy forward is not likely to see many drives off the dribble towards the basket, Watanabe possesses advanced finishing ability with either hand at the rim if necessary as he showed in Brooklyn for two seasons as his role expanded.
Defensively, Watanabe is a hustling player. Averaging nearly half a block and 2.4 rebounds per game, Watanabe will be active. Two concerns are obvious when one looks at Watanabe as a defender however, the lateral quickness and aggressiveness could be liabilities when switched onto smaller, quicker guards and foul trouble can be an issue due to his length.
Watanabe is coming off a career-high 16 minutes per game in Brooklyn last season where he was efficient while on the court. The right fit has always been the issue for Watanabe as a professional. While in Phoenix, expect Watanabe to play a bigger role for the first time in his career.
Eric Gordon- Shooting Guard
Eric Gordon will be an experienced player headed to Phoenix after the 6’3” shooting guard signed a 2-year, $6.5 million dollar deal this offseason with a player option in his second year.
Gordon will be a rare shooting threat from deep for a team loaded with midrange options. Like Watanabe, Gordon will not be asked to handle the rock much, but rather pull the trigger on 3-point attempts, especially off screens. It would also be shocking to see Gordon get a starting role necessarily as the NBA is beginning to find ways to limit workload management and Gordon's other aspect of the game.
Defensively, it's safe to say Gordon is past his prime to defend. His guarding skills and effort is not what it once was as the 34 year old has aged gracefully into the modern NBA. His 6’9” wingspan as a guard is an added bonus though.
Gordon’s leadership in the locker room is another role that he is expected to express. His experience in the playoffs, after playing 60 games in six different playoff runs, will be critical to a team with essentially a new roster and identity. Gordon’s a high character player with an open personality that Suns fans will undoubtedly cling onto for a few seasons.
Keita Bates-Diop- Forward
Keita Bates-Diop is a forward that is more of a slashing type of player. While in San Antonio the last three seasons, Bates-Diop began to find creative ways to get to the rim. He has exceptional off-ball movement for a forward that can be utilized in double team situations with Bradley Beal or Booker with Bates-Diop cutting to the basket.
Bates-Diop is comfortable off the dribble, however in the lineup that the Suns will roll out constantly in the season, again, it would be surprising to see a Bates-Diop led fast break or a play in which Bates-Diop puts it on the floor and attacks the rim all by himself.
Instead, Bates-Diop will be a passing option for a dump off in front of the rim. Expect plays like wide pin-down screens for Bates-Diop with an option to roll to the basket with momentum.
Bates-Diop isn't necessarily the most physical on the defensive end, relying mostly on his 7’3” wingspan. His quickness is concerning as a defender as well. Expect Bates-Diop to serve as a compliment to Booker, Beal or Gordon as a pick and roll threat with off-ball movement during games.
The Suns could have a very long lineup with the potential to spread multiple wingspans over seven feet in a lineup should Vogel feel the need. With plenty of shooting available for the Suns now, it would make sense to play any of the aforementioned players in a bench role that could provide a spark as each of the defined role players bring something unique to this Suns team.
