Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek prefers not to play three point guards together

Some people collect stamps.

Others like baseball cards or coins.

The Phoenix Suns collect point guards. At least that’s the perception around the NBA.

After acquiring Isaiah Thomas in a sign-and-trade deal with the Sacramento Kings and giving Eric Bledsoe a fat, new contract, the Suns boast three top-notch point guards. The trio also includes Goran Dragic, who was named as the NBA’s Most Improved Player after averaging 20.3 points and 5.9 assists per game last season.

As the Suns get ready for their 2014-15 season opener, the question remains — how much, if any, will we see all three point guards on the floor at the same time?

“I don’t know if that’s something we’ll go to a lot,” head coach Jeff Hornacek told Doug and Wolf Tuesday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “It’s something we can do in small doses and see if we can take advantage of it. We did it twice in the preseason and it worked both times.

“That’s not to say it works every time. You may see it, but I prefer not to because we’re such a deep team. If we start doing it, then all of a sudden someone is going to get squeezed pretty big minutes.”

In a perfect world, Hornacek doesn’t feel like he should need to roll out the three-headed monster at point guard. But there are certain circumstances where he might rely on it.

“If we’re having a rough night and we’re getting beat pretty good, all of a sudden we can throw that in there,” he said. “Get a shooter at the four spot and put one big in there and see if we can just get up and down the court and fly and take our chances with that.

“Or, if I don’t think the speed of the game is up to par and we’re walking it up too much, I can throw those three guys in there and speed it up.”

The Suns open their 48th season of play Wednesday night at US Airways Center against the Los Angeles Lakers. You can hear the game on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. Tip-off is at 7:00.

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