The Suns are running into Grayson Allen at exactly the wrong moment.
Phoenix has stumbled out to a 4-6 start, and Allen has already settled in with the Charlotte Hornets. He just put up 27 points and knocked down six 3-pointers in a convincing win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, a reminder of the kind of impact the Suns no longer have in their own rotation. Now he gets the chance to show it directly against his former team.
What Phoenix misses most isn’t just the shooting. Allen gave the Suns a rare blend of floor spacing and defensive usefulness, and that combination fit neatly into Coach Jordan Ott’s system.
He could chase bigger wings, slide onto quicker guards when needed and still keep the court open on offense. That kind of versatility mattered, and the Suns have felt the absence.
Allen’s defense was never just a bonus. During his time in Phoenix, he showed he could handle matchups that normally ask a lot from a role player, even helping keep Victor Wembanyama in check on one occasion. That’s the sort of work that doesn’t always jump off the page, but it changes how a team can function.
Phoenix chose to move on from that profile and go with Miles Bridges instead. Bridges is the more complete scorer and can give the Suns 20 points a night, but the fit has been awkward alongside Devin Booker. The Booker-Jalen Green backcourt also can’t count on Bridges to take on the toughest defensive assignments, and that has left the Suns exposed.
The numbers back up the frustration. Phoenix sits third from the bottom in defensive rating at 119.3, and the problem isn’t just that Allen is gone. It’s that the Suns replaced him with a bigger, more offense-first forward who hasn’t shown much interest in defending, despite promising otherwise at media day.
That’s what makes this matchup so uncomfortable for Phoenix. Allen is the kind of off-ball mover the Suns have struggled to contain, and he’ll force them to chase him around the floor while Bridges, Booker and even Collin Gillespie are asked to deal with him. He also has the tools to guard Brooks or Bridges when he’s not handling the ball himself.
The Suns had to make a decision last summer, but the price of it keeps looking steeper. Allen, Bridges, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 unprotected first-round pick all changed hands, and with Allen playing this well in Charlotte, the deal looks worse by the week. He’s bringing his hot form from Phoenix with him, and this one has all the markings of a revenge game.
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Devin Booker added another line to his already deep footprint in Suns history during Phoenixs game against the Clippers, moving past Julius Erving on the NBAs all-time scoring list and into 79th place with 18,371 career points. For a player who has spent his entire career in Phoenix, milestones like this have become part of the backdrop to his rise, with Booker already standing as the franchises all-time leading scorer.
The bigger picture for the Suns is even more straightforward: owner Mat Ishbia has made it clear Booker remains the face of the team and the player expected to guide the next push toward a championship. Individual markers on the leagues scoring list only reinforce how long Booker has been doing this at a high level, and how central he still is to whatever comes next in Phoenix. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Return To Phoenix With More At Stake Than Usual
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Charlotte, meanwhile, arrives with a longer list of injury concerns, which only adds to the sense that this one could hinge as much on who is available as on who is playing well. There is also a little extra edge in the building, with Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale set to face their former team for the first time this season, a small subplot that gives an otherwise ordinary regular-season meeting a little more bite. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Early Stock Report Will Spark A Real Rotation Debate
After a few recent games, the Suns are already getting a clearer picture of who is helping shape the roster and who is fighting to stay in the mix. Devin Booker remains the standard-bearer, while Jalen Kennard has given the offense another useful option and Ryan Dunn has started to make his presence felt on the defensive end.
What makes this early stock report so interesting is how quickly it turns into a rotation conversation. The Suns are sorting through which contributors can hold up on both sides of the floor, which young players are rising fast, and which names may be sliding toward the outside of the picture as the season takes shape. [Read more 🡒]