3 Things to Watch in Suns’ Season Opener vs Kings

The Suns begin a new era under coach Jordan Ott tonight.

Mar 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) against Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX — Phoenix Suns basketball is back tonight as the Suns open the regular season at home at 7:00 p.m. Arizona time against the Sacramento Kings. 

Phoenix will be without new starting guard Jalen Green, who was sidelined the entire preseason with a right hamstring strain, while the Sacramento Kings are down star center Domantas Sabonis (right hamstring strain) and starting forward Keegan Murray (torn ligament in left thumb). 

Tonight’s game will mark the start of a new era for the Suns after moving on from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal this summer, hiring a new coach in Jordan Ott and adding 10 new players. 

Here are three things we are watching tonight for the Suns in the opener: 

Devin Booker’s Playmaking

Sep 24, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) poses for portrait during Media Day at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The season opener could be the first game of a monster season for Devin Booker. 

However, he is going to face double teams all night long with Green out of the lineup. 

Coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 7.1 assists, Booker showed that he built off this playmaking in the preseason and will have to showcase it right away as the lead guard in the opener without Green. 

Look for some creativity in Ott’s system to help Booker navigate some of the double teams that are going to be thrown at him. 

Mark Williams Is Available!

Sep 24, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams (15) poses for portrait during Media Day at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After missing the whole preseason, new starting center Mark Williams has a golden opportunity to assert himself early with the Suns with the Kings missing Sabonis. 

Without Green, Williams is going to be one of the primary beneficiaries off of Booker getting double teamed, which will put him in a position to show his playmaking in the short roll but also finish at the rim off passes from Booker. 

 “I like Mark a lot. He has a motor, super skilled, (he) cuts — he has it all,” Booker said of Williams (h/t Arizona Sports' Kellan Olson). 

The Suns have praised Williams all offseason, and fans are desperately looking for an upgrade at the center position after subpar play the last several seasons. 

Ott said at practice Tuesday that “there's a competitive target of minutes” for Williams, so don’t expect a heavy workload for him out of the gate as Phoenix navigates his past injury history. 

When Williams is on the court, watch for how he plays off Booker offensively, his finishing around the rim and how he protects the paint defensively, which has been an inconsistency of his in the past, but something Phoenix has needed for a long time and that Williams has the ability to provide. 

Additionally, the Suns have a good problem to solve with who will back up Williams between Nick Richards, Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach, all three of who played well in the preseason, so keep an eye on the center rotation.

Jordan Ott's System

Oct 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott against the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA preseason game at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Suns showcased exactly what Ott’s system is going to be built around in the preseason - being competitive and aggressive on both ends and playing fast with a lot of movement offensively. 

Sacramento was not a good defensive team a season ago (116.4 defensive rating) and without its best defender in Murray, the Suns will have a good chance to showcase their new style of play offensively even without a key centerpiece of it in Green. 

Dillon Brooks is going to help set a new tone for Ott’s defense that will consist of heavy ball pressure, and the Suns are clearly determined to reverse their history of bad defense the past couple seasons. 

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— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) October 22, 2025

Phoenix ranked second in the NBA during the preseason in steals per game (12.5), fifth in defensive rating (102.2) and first in points off turnovers per game (31.3).

Watch for a lot of creativity from the Suns offensively under Ott as they try to generate a lot of transition baskets, many of which will come from relentless pressure defensively.