Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: Currently, the Suns have a 95% chance of ending up in the Play-In tournament. Between the other most likely play-in teams (Clippers, Trail Blazers, Warriors), which is the team you would least prefer to play against?

GuarGuar: I’d least like to play against the Clippers in the Play-In, but that seems like who our first game matchup is going to be. Ty Lue always has some unique defensive game plans against us, and I think he could junk up our offense. No Harden or Zubac is big, but they still are performing very well, and Kawhi has been at an All-NBA level.

Diamondhacks: The fan in me would rather skirt playoff-tested coaches and superstars. The pretend-coach in me is more concerned with team pace, because we’ve notably struggled vs so-so (i.e., Play-In caliber) squads who play fast.

NBA Pace Rankings 2025-26

1st – Miami
2nd – Atlanta
3rd – Chicago
…
8th – Portland
18th – GSW
28th – LAC

So, if Avdija is “back” healthy and pushing the pace, I’d be most averse to Portland.

Ashton: I am not using metrics here, but more of which game would I be most entertained to watch? For me, that is the GSW. This is not based on current playoff/seeding projections, but if the implosion of the Warriors happens during a Suns game, okay, cool. Keep in mind, I am a Steve Kerr fan.

Then we get to spend the summer reading about all the possible trades that GSW can do to get younger. End of an era type stuff.

Yeah, Beat LA light and I like some of the youth movement out of Portland, but GSW and the Suns would pull the TV ratings.

OldAz: Easy. Golden State. Basically, to face the Warriors, either the Warriors have to get hot down the stretch and make up 2-3 games to finish in 8th, or the Suns have been passed by both Portland and the Clippers to finish in 9th, of that the Suns have lost game 1 of the play in and now face elimination against the Warriors after losing game 1. The Warriors are also a team that historically have stepped it up in the playoffs after underwhelming regular season performances. If Curry and a green are healthy, and especially in option #1 they are on a hot streak, then I would want no part of them.

Rod: I’m going with the Clippers here mostly because I think they’re the most unpredictable team of the bunch. In the last few weeks, they beat the Knicks and the Timberwolves (by 25 points), then lost to Sacramento and New Orleans (twice), and then beat Milwaukee by 33 after barely squeaking by Dallas in an overtime game.

Whoever it turns out to be, I just hope that the Suns bring their A-game to the court that night.

Q2: According to Gambo, Dillon Brooks could be back early next week, possibly in time for Monday’s game against Memphis. When he returns, would you put him right back into the starting lineup or bring him in off the bench at first?

GuarGuar: I’d bring Dillon right back into the starting group when he gets back. We miss his defense and toughness greatly, and his fearlessness when it comes to creating his own shot. His intensity has been missed during this stretch of close losses.

Diamondhacks: The best usage decisions are typically informed, so I’d defer to someone intimately familiar with the team’s competitive and personal dynamics. Maybe someone who spends a lot of time communicating with, motivating, and analyzing the leveraged performance of the personnel in question? I mean for a living and with demonstrated success.

Hmmm…if only there was such a person. Gosh, I can’t imagine who that might be.

Ashton: I would get Brooks off the bench as soon as medically possible to start working off the rust and to start his motor mouth for technical fouls. This will play heavy with what Q3 is asking, in which case, if he’s good to go, then start him for the last few games.

He is going to have some frustration to work off with his pending driving misdemeanors. And if he thinks he has faced stiff defenses in the past, wait until he pleads (legal disclaimer: Innocent until proven guilty) out and runs up against the Arizona Department of Transportation. No Rolls-Royce for you, Dillon the Villain, and we are not talking about playing with RO. I will be surprised if my paragraph makes it past the editors and the SBNation legal team, but this is Scottsdale we are talking about. All professional athletes should be warned about visiting Scottsdale.

Royce may be the first option to start, but I still would like to see more of Fleming.

OldAz: I would personally already be starting Fleming at the 4 and this would really be asking if Brooks would return to start at the small forward position in place of Allen. The answer in that case would still be “yes” because I want the remaining games to work with that bigger front line. However, back in the real world, where Ott is unwilling to play his bigger wings at the start of games, I would also go back to Brooks because at least he plays big. I would again bench Gillespie or Allen and play Brooks with Onealle because this group has played along the front line together more so far this year.

Rod: I do believe that a game or two coming off the bench would probably be good for him until he gets his game legs and his rhythm back. The quicker those things return should be the guide as to when he returns to the starting lineup and the minutes he plays. At this point, I don’t see a big need to rush him back into the starting lineup or play him big minutes until he’s proven he’s ready for those things.

Q3: If the Suns wind up locked into a certain playoff/Play-In seed before the season ends, should they consider resting certain players in their final few games?

GuarGuar: I definitely think if we are locked into the 7 spot, we should rest a couple of guys a game or two before the Play-In. But I want us to have an established rhythm first before we do that. If we haven’t gelled yet with everyone back, I think getting game reps would be more beneficial than sitting out games out of caution.

Diamondhacks: Sure. Rest and recovery are essential for any successful athlete, and all resource managers consider it. They’re always ‘considering’ it. Every game. Every single run. Individual Suns who look tired or worn out to me on a semi-regular or cumulative basis include Gillespie, Allen, O’Neale, and Booker. Basically, our minutes leaders who trend older or less ‘athletic’ and who also tend to deliver the lion’s share of team value. Perhaps Goodwin as well, although he never really looks tired.

Ashton: It seems like the Suns have been “resting” players all season long due to injuries. What a turnstile that has been. Honestly, it is bad when the first thing I look at before a Suns game is the injury report. It has detracted from what has been an above-average season.

So, the pundits are saying the Suns are locked into a playoff season and most likely the seven seed. With all the injuries, I see zero reason not to rest players if that is the case. Silver can’t complain about the Suns tanking for a draft pick, and yes, the quality of the game sucks for the fans in attendance.

But more playing time for the rookies? Sign me up.

OldAz: Maybe in the last game, but otherwise I would just scale back the minutes for Booker to around 25 minutes for a few games so that he is fresher but still in rhythm come playoff time. Maybe the same for Gillespie who has played a lot of minutes this year. Beyond that, Green needs to keep playing to build rhythm and consistency, and everyone else’s minutes would be dictated mainly by getting and staying healthy.

Rod: Considering their bad luck with injuries this season, I’d say yes. If there are a few games at the end of the season where winning or losing won’t have any effect on their playoff/Play-In position, risking another injury to one of their key players just doesn’t seem particularly smart. I’m not certain whether I’d sit all the starters or just restrict their minutes and give the bench guys plenty of playing time in those games, though. Maybe playing the starters just enough to keep them from getting rusty without wearing them down might be the best way to go.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

“We just have to keep growing, keep building and I think we’re competing hard. We’re just haven’t gotten over that hump. Yes, we’re getting there. We’re learning. When we’re the more physical team it puts us in a better situation.” – Devin Booker

“Roll the ball out, whoever’s in the rotation, whoever’s out there, let’s get it. It would be nice to be healthy, though but soon as that ball gets tossed in the air we aren’t thinking about it.” – Jalen Green

“Just knowing that I can go out there and compete with these guys and that just builds confidence for me.” – Rasheer Fleming

“If I’m passing up shots, it’s not doing really any good for our team. No matter who is out there, I got to be aggressive, especially when I first catch the ball because that’s the most open I’ll be.” – Collin Gillespie

“You’ve got to kind of earn your respect in the league.” – Collin Gillespie

“We don’t really dwell too much on what happened yesterday. That’s part of the NBA.” – Jalen Green

Grayson Allen’s first three-pointer vs Denver was the 1000th of his NBA career and his 2nd was his 500th playing for the Suns (his career total now stands at 1004, 503 for the Suns). His total of 503 three point makes for Phoenix is 10th on the Suns’ All-Time leaders list.

Collin Gillespie is just 7 three-point makes away from surpassing Quentin Richardson as the Suns’ All-Time leader in threes made in a single season. Richardson set the record (226) back in 2005. With 195 makes this season, Royce O’Neale is currently 8th on that list and, while it’s extremely unlikely that he could catch up to Collin by the end of the season, with 11 more makes he could move up as high as 3rd on that list, passing both Grayson Allen (2024) and Raja Bell (2007) who are currently tied for that position with 205 makes each.

Players Averaging Over 25.0 PPG & With A Defensive Field Goal Percentage (DFG%) Under 45.0% In The 2025-26 NBA Regular Season :

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 31.5 PPG & 42.8 DFG%Jaylen Brown — 28.6 PPG & 42.8 DFG%Giannis Antetokounmpo — 27.6 PPG & 43.4 DFG%Kevin Durant — 26.0 PPG & 42.4 DFG%Devin Booker — 25.5 PPG & 43.6 DFG%

(From Stat Defender/@statdefender)

On April 3, 1994, Kevin Johnson scored a season high 42 points and dished out 17 assists while playing 45 minutes in a 108-98 non-OT win over the Denver Nuggets. He did not make a single 3-point shot in the game but was 14-16 from the FT line.

On April 3, 2002, the Suns lost 89-83 – in an overtime game – to the Philadelphia 76ers. It is the lowest point total by the Suns ever in an overtime game. Curiously, the Suns 2nd lowest point total in an overtime game (84 points) was in an 84-83 overtime WIN against Minnesota on Feb. 26, 2013.

This Week’s Game Schedule

Saturday, March 28 – Suns vs Utah Jazz (7:00 pm) NBATV
Monday, March 30 – Suns @ Memphis Grizzlies (5:00 pm)
Tuesday, March 31 – Suns @ Orlando Magic (4:00 pm)
Thursday, April 2 – Suns @ Charlotte Hornets (4:00 pm)

This Week’s Valley Suns Game Schedule

The Valley Suns’ regular season is over and they did not qualify for the G League playoffs.

March 31 – 2026 NBA G League Playoffs begin
April 12 – Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
April 13 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
April 14-17 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
April 18 – NBA Playoffs begin