By all accounts, Damion Lee wasn’t expected to be where he is right now. Lee said as much when he told Suns.com that, due to oxygen problems, he came out of the womb purple, and doctors were concerned whether he’d be all right. After going undrafted, suffering two torn ACLs — one in college, the other in the G League — might have been an unscalable obstacle for some players. Even joining a title contender like the Phoenix Suns on a veteran minimum contract, expectations were tempered. And yet, even through all of that adversity, Lee persevered, bringing him to this exact moment where he’s become an intrinsic piece of Phoenix’s second unit. “Everybody says, ‘I’m blessed, I’m thankful to…

Coming off a playoff run and offseason that didn’t go according to plan, it was only fitting that Deandre Ayton’s start to the 2022-23 campaign followed suit. His widely publicized Game 7 spat with Monty Williams, rampant trade rumors, the fact that he had to sign an offer sheet with another team to force the Phoenix Suns’ hand in contract negotiations, whether he and his coach actually spoke over the summer — all of it loomed overhead (to say nothing of the Robert Sarver investigation). So despite his usual pre-season talk about wanting to take over games and dominate in all facets, the first month of Ayton’s fifth season largely underwhelmed. Through 12 games, he was averaging 14.6 points, a…

For those curious about the current state of the Phoenix Suns’ long-running rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, Patrick Beverley body-checking Deandre Ayton in the back Tuesday night served as a pretty clear indication. The Lakers have 17 NBA championships, and the Suns have zero. In those terms, there’s no contest between the two. And yet, watching two of the league’s all-time winningest teams square off in another lopsided fight, it was easy to forget which franchise was which. One side talked trash while cruising to another double-digit victory; the other lost its composure and got ejected for it. It’s not the first time in recent years we’ve seen it from Suns-Lakers, and it’s not the first time the Suns…

The Phoenix Suns typically withhold judgment on their rotations until they have a 20-game sample size to work with. They’re only 16 games into the new season, and their new starting lineup hasn’t even had seven full games together yet. However, with Chris Paul’s sore right heel set to be re-evaluated later this week, and Cam Johnson out for 1-2 months due to a torn right meniscus, the Suns will be rolling with Cam Payne and Torrey Craig in that starting five for the foreseeable future. The question is, even with such a small sample size, what have we seen from Phoenix’s new starting lineup? The Suns have strived for “stacking solid,” as coach Monty Williams calls it, and the…

Cam Payne and the Phoenix Suns’ bench felt like areas for concern heading into 2022-23, but both have played better than advertised. The problem is, Payne hasn’t entirely been a consistent member of that second unit yet. The reason? Injuries and one public trade request have dealt significant blows to the Suns’ depth, forcing Payne, Torrey Craig and a few others into more prominent roles. In the long-term, that’s certainly not a bad thing. Even in the short-term, Payne has performed admirably in Chris Paul’s stead. Wednesday’s blowout win over the Golden State Warriors was a pristine example of that, as Payne finished with a career-high 29 points and 7 assists while shooting 9-of-17 from the field. https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1593121505587494914?s=20&t=ehDR096QOppxysJ-elB65w “He hooped,”…

Thanks to Monday night’s 113-112 defeat, the Phoenix Suns have now lost three of their last four games and four of their last six. Technically speaking, they’re currently in a skid. Injuries (and one non-injury absence) have undoubtedly played a role in the Suns struggling to establish their identity, but their most recent loss painted a pretty clear picture — for better and for worse — of where they are right now. Following a game that came down to the final possession, and really shouldn’t have, let’s take a look at a few tough love lessons for the Suns, as well as a few undeniable positives. Tough Love Lesson No. 1: The free-throw disparity continues In a one-point game that…

The last few years have provided endless discussion about which player should be the first, second and third options on the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker put the debate over first option to bed last year, establishing himself as the alpha. CP3 settled comfortably into the second spot, leaving the fanbase to argue over Deandre Ayton or Mikal Bridges for the designation of third fiddle. These conversations may seem pointless, but heading into the season, with Paul being 37 and taking an intentional step backward, there were legitimate questions about whether Ayton or Bridges should step up as the second option. Games like Wednesday serve as a reminder that an aggressive Mikal Bridges can end that debate rather quickly. Facing the…

Week by week, the Phoenix Suns have suffered blow after blow to their depth. What was once a strongest suit thanks to general manager James Jones’ 3×5 “index card” approach to team-building has become a glaring weakness, due to calculated mistakes over the summer as well as circumstances beyond the Suns’ control. Starting Cam Johnson over Jae Crowder would’ve zapped...

One injury can change the trajectory of an entire season, and Cam Johnson’s right knee injury is no different for the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday morning, the team confirmed that the non-contact injury Johnson suffered in Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers was in fact a torn meniscus. The fourth-year forward will undergo surgery, and there is no timetable for his return. https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1589303780327448578 Losing a starter on any title contender is a critical blow, but that’s especially true for a Suns squad that was already missing one starting-caliber player heading into the season. Even without the other minor, early-season injuries that are piling up, Phoenix is quickly running short on depth. “He’s a starter for us, so that’s always…