Through two preseason games, the Phoenix Suns have already shown they may have more bench depth than people expected, and Duop Reath is part of that picture. He has not quite forced his way into the top of the rotation yet, but the Suns look smart for getting him on a training camp deal.
That move looks even better when you consider how badly the Philadelphia 76ers could use a player like him after Ariel Hukporti went down with a season-ending Achilles injury. Reath would have fit neatly as the kind of backup they need.
Joel Embiid will play 55 games if he's lucky, and Reath brings something rare for a big man: a respectable 3-point shot. He also rebounds hard.
He would have been short of ideal as Embiid’s backup, but the 76ers’ current reserves in Adem Bona and Tacko Fall do not offer much comfort.
In Phoenix, though, Reath can be deployed in a much cleaner role. He can back up both Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach, with Ighodaro starting now and Maluach expected to pass him before long.
That leaves Reath in a strong spot as the third big on the depth chart, and compared with some of the backups the Suns have had to rely on before, including Drew Eubanks, he is a clear upgrade. He looks capable of handling 15 minutes a night.
The Suns had no way of knowing Hukporti would get hurt, but landing Reath when they did is another example of a front office making the right kind of smart, low-cost addition. Miles Bridges may have been an overpay, but his reaction when his ankle injury turned out not to be serious showed how important he has already become to the team. And Reath fits the same pattern as previous surprise contributors like Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, both of whom are now part of that dangerous bench unit.
In Other News...
Ryan Dunn Has A Real Suns Opening But One Problem Remains
Ryan Dunn has gotten an early look in the Suns preseason rotation, and that alone says plenty about where the team sees his opportunity right now. In the first two preseason games, he has been the preferred option over Rasheer Fleming in the early substitution pattern, checking in during the first quarter while head coach Jordan Ott takes a closer look at how Dunn might grow into a bench role built around defense and complementary shooting.
The appeal is clear: Dunns defensive ability has already stood out, and the Suns are evaluating whether he can become the kind of three-and-D piece that fits alongside the teams shooters. The lingering issue is just as clear, though, because his three-point shot has not yet taken the kind of preseason step the Suns need to see, which leaves Fleming as a possible alternative if Dunn does not separate himself. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Face One Huge Early Question Around Jalen Green And Booker
Devin Booker is already the obvious center of gravity for Phoenix, but the conversation around him this summer has shifted from simple star status to usage. Bill Simmons and Rob Mahoney of The Ringer pointed to Booker as the Suns player to watch entering the season, noting his stated desire to shoot more and just enjoy the game. For a team trying to find its footing around him, that is not a small detail.
Jalen Green adds another layer to the equation. As the Suns second-highest-paid player, he is expected to have a major say in how cleanly Booker can get to his spots and how much pressure the offense can put on defenses. The intrigue for Phoenix is not just whether Booker can handle a bigger scoring load, but how the rest of the roster, Green included, helps make that possible. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Booker Just Reignited The Suns Question Fans Can't Ignore
Devin Booker has been the face of the Suns since they drafted him in 2015, and even as Phoenix settles into a middle-tier place in the West, his commitment to staying the course has not changed. He remains tied to the franchises biggest modern run, including the 2021 push that fell just short in the NBA Finals against Milwaukee, and that near miss still shapes how he talks about the job ahead.
Bookers message is simple enough: he wants to win a championship in Phoenix, and he is still locked in on doing it here. For Suns fans, the lingering question is whether that belief can survive the grind of the present roster reality, or if the urgency around his prime eventually forces the front office to make a different kind of move. [Read more 🡒]