3 Biggest Things We Learned from Suns' Preseason

PHOENIX -- Despite finishing the preseason with a 1-4 record, the Phoenix Suns had more positives than negatives to take away from the five games.

The Suns overall looked ready to go for the regular season, especially with their first and second units, after spending much off the offseason working together.

Here were the three biggest things we learned from the Suns' preseason:

Starting Lineup Showing Signs of Coming Together

There were questions about how Miles Bridges would fit with the Suns after he was their biggest acquisition this offseason, but he looked ready to play whatever role was needed from him in the preseason.

It's still going to be a process for four scorers in Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Bridges to fit together on a consistent basis, but they all showed they were willing to try to make it work and play off each other in the three games they shared the floor.

Coach Jordan Ott has a clear plan to make these four players and whichever center starts between Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro work, and they will all have to be able to sacrifice or learn new parts of their games if they want to be successful together.

Luke Kennard, Ryan Dunn, Khaman Maluach Could Be Difference Makers

Kennard and Dunn were the two biggest standouts of the preseason for the Suns.

Kennard proved he is going to be willing to shoot and do more offensively, which is exactly what Phoenix wants from him, while Dunn looked a lot more comfortable and brought energy every time he was on the floor, which appears to have led to him earning a spot in the rotation.

Maluach also had some good flashes, and it still might take time for him to fully come into his game, but the Suns are going to need him to have a big year, and he continued to show his willingness to learn and get better, which was a big positive in the preseason.

The competition between Maluach and Ighodaro for the starting center role was the most notable battle to watch in the preseason. Even though the Suns have yet to name who is the starter, one thing that became clear is that the Suns are going to need both no matter who starts or comes off the bench.

The Suns' bench, which already features two key pieces in Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, looks to be in really good hands with Kennard, Dunn and whoever is the backup center between Maluach and Ighodaro.

Suns Not Shying Away from Identity, Only Improving It

Even in the preseason, the Suns were giving all-out effort on almost every possession, just like they did in Ott's first year last season.

Everyone was willing to defend and try to force turnovers while relentlessly crashing the offensive glass, which are two of the biggest focal points in Ott's system.

The Suns want to continue to improve their identity, which will likely include playing faster and finding a way to grab more defensive rebounds, and they took positive steps forward toward doing so in the preseason.

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