Preview: Suns' Preseason Trip to Portland

The Phoenix Suns are playing the Portland Trail Blazers tonight, just under two weeks before the regular season opener in San Fransisco.

This will mark the first time the Suns face off against Deandre Ayton since the center was sent to Portland two weeks ago, if he indeed does suit up.

Although that storyline will always be around as long as Ayton plays, there's many others to monitor:

Portland's Young Phenoms

Take Ayton out of the equation, and Portland still has much to be excited about. At the forefront is 19-year old phenom Scoot Henderson, who they stole with the third pick in the draft. Henderson was considered to be an elite prospect and deemed as a worthy selection with the No. 1 overall pick if Victor Wembanyama didn't exist.

It will be exciting to finally see what the point guard can do against Phoenix, especially with big shoes to fill following Damian Lillard.

Anfernee Simons is a vey good young player who is both a dangerous shooter and great athlete. The sixth-year guard just came off of his first season averaging 20 points a night, but may unfortunately be pushed back to a sixth-man role this season due to Shaedon Sharpe.

The five-star recruit committed to the University of Kentucky but never played for the Wildcats, and went into the 2022 draft being considered a large risk by much of the scouting community. The two-guard had a strong rookie year and is poised to take another step forward.

Add in Robert Williams, Kris Murray, as well as short-lived Sun Toumani Camara, and Portland will be an interesting matchup for Phoenix, as this team may not be as far away from getting back into contention as it appears.

Suns Big Three Returns

Suns head coach Frank Vogel confirmed the star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal will return to the lineup in Portland. The big three already had a showing that even exceeded Suns fans expectations in the opener against Detroit, and now fans get another opportunity to see them get some minutes.

Although it's unclear how much time the three will see the court, it can be presumed it'll be about the same as the last game they were active in.

Jordan Goodwin Aims for Season Debut

Jordan Goodwin, a largely forgotten about piece of the Bradley Beal trade, has conspicuously been inactive for the first two games of the preseason, which was attributed to hamstring tightness.

The defensive-minded point guard has thoroughly impressed throughout the offseason and has been aiming to be the backup point guard. The former Wizard will get his chance tonight, as the Suns official press release confirmed he was upgraded to probable on Wednesday.

Suns fans very well could grow to love Goodwin's relentless defense and strong feel for the game.

The Suns and Trail Blazers tip off tonight at 7:00 PM Arizona time. The game will be broadcast on NBA TV nationally and AZ Family for local audiences.