If the Collin Gillespie re-signing was not enough to show that the Phoenix Suns are trying to avoid “Point Book,” a recent report might be.
On Friday, July 4, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the Suns are one of five teams to have shown interest in free agent point guard Ryan Rollins. A three-year NBA player out of Toledo, the 23-year-old played for the Bucks last season.
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He started in 19 of 56 games last season. Playing 24.7 minutes per game in those starts, he shot 48.6/45.2/85.7 en route to 10.2 points per game. He also averaged 1.3 steals in those 19 starts with a 110 defensive rating.
The Suns would have to sign him to a veteran minimum deal. Scotto mentioned that the Suns could gain more financial flexibility, however, if they agree on a buyout with wing Bradley Beal.
“Point Book” is a concept tested by former Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov during part of the 2018-19 season, during which Devin Booker played as a full-time point guard. While Booker’s statistics did not dip when playing as Point Book, it did not impact the team in terms of winning.
Concerns that Booker would play too much point guard in 2025-26, as opposed to mixing in enough possessions as a scorer from the wing, arose among fans after the Kevin Durant trade.
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In the Durant trade, however, the Suns acquired combo guard Jalen Green. Also best as an on-ball scorer, he will need to initiate some offense too, which creates opportunities for Booker to play on the wing and not only as the primary ballhandler.
On top of that, the Gillespie re-signing also awards the Suns opportunities to have him take the ball up and set plays for Booker, Green and Beal in more of a traditional point guard role whenever necessary.
Gillespie showed last season that while he can play as a two-guard, his ball-handling and passing complemented Booker well as a point guard.
While Rollins has never played with Booker or anyone on the Suns, if the Suns see a fit, they would have another option to initiate offense as a primary ball-handler. Also, Rollins is coming off a better defensive season than Gillespie. If he fits, both could receive substantial playing time.
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Regardless of fit, Rollins is 17 years younger than former Suns All-NBA point guard Chris Paul, also a rumored target for the team.
The Bucks have Early Bird Rights to re-sign Rollins, but the Suns’ interest shows they may not be done with free agency yet.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns rumored to be interested in FA point guard other than Chris Paul