Suns’ COVID-19 troubles will give rare amount of opportunities to others

PHOENIX — With so much of the next week or two blanketed by unknowns for the Phoenix Suns, there is one bit of certainty we can take away from this time.

Given the current absences of head coach Monty Williams, center Deandre Ayton and forward Jae Crowder due to health and safety protocols, that means there are more opportunities for others on the roster.

Now, this could come for players that aren’t even with the Suns yet if Phoenix has to deal with an outbreak and goes down a half-dozen or more players because of COVID-19, as has been the case for the majority of the NBA’s teams in December.

Again, we don’t know if that’s the case. The best update possible came on Tuesday with no new additions to the protocols on the injury report. We’ll see.

The Suns are essentially there already, though, because Abdel Nader (right knee injury management), Frank Kaminsky (right knee stress reaction) and Dario Saric (right ACL tear) are all stuck on the shelf for now while two-way wing Ish Wainright (low back soreness) also remains out.

That effectively put the Suns down to just two bigs and three wings available in Monday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

For the time being, Jalen Smith has been the biggest beneficiary.

The second-year big played a season-high 29 minutes against the Grizzlies, having a go in crunch time because starting center JaVale McGee fouled out.

The 6-foot-10 No. 10 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has had skittish moments on the court when he’s been given a shift this season, looking like he didn’t know where to be at times and not sure of where he fits in.

With that, however, has come his high-level energy, motor and knack for being around the ball on both ends.

Smith had six of his nine rebounds on the offensive glass, earning three separate trips to the foul line as part of his 15-point effort.

While a brute like Memphis’ Steven Adams showed the limitations in Smith playing longer stints as a 5, Smith was still getting involved under the basket.

“Obviously thrown in the fire and thrown into somebody like Steven Adams isn’t always the easiest job for your first time out there but he held his own, he defended, he rotated at a high level (and) he knew all our defensive schemes so I was proud of the way Stix played,” Suns guard Devin Booker said Tuesday of Smith.

Smith had the third year of his rookie contract declined by the Suns, meaning that he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. While he could come back to Phoenix, these next couple of months are going to be about Smith getting the most out of this time.

“Stix played great last night,” point guard Chris Paul said Tuesday of Smith. “In this league, a lot of times, the only way to learn is with experience. Stix been putting a lot of work in and hopefully he continues to take full advantage of his opportunity.”

It’s going to be tough for Smith to land in an environment as good as the Suns’ to learn in, and getting actual court time over this period is the best way for him to obtain more for whatever his basketball future brings.

Speaking of basketball futures, because of the NBA’s rule tweak requiring teams to sign new players to 10-day contracts via the hardship exemption if they have enough positive tests, that has seen an unprecedented amount of players get another crack at the NBA.

Some former Suns like Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight have been making the most of it.

Monroe had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists on Monday for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the same day they signed him. Knight has played 20+ minutes for the Dallas Mavericks in two straight games and has responded with double-digit scoring production, recently posting 18 points and five assists on Monday.

“I’m loving to see people just take advantage of the opportunity,” Booker said. “There’s a lot of guys that put a lot of sacrifice into their bodies and their workout regiments and just continue to stay on what we call the grind. I have a lot of respect for all those guys.

“Any chance that they can get to go out there to prove themselves again, they’re taking advantage of it and it’s a joy to watch.”

Both of those performances came in wins for those teams receiving key contributions from guys who did not play at all in the league last season.

“I’m extremely grateful and happy for those guys,” Paul said. “If not for those guys, the league would be in shambles right now so huge shoutout to all the guys who stayed ready and made themselves available for this. I think a lot of guys around the league should definitely be thanking them guys and we’re trying to show them how much we appreciate them.”

Knight told reporters after the Mavericks’ win on Monday that he cried after getting the call. Acting Suns head coach Kevin Young was a coach in the G League for nearly a decade and painted the picture of how difficult it is to be in that position as a player trying to get in the NBA.

“I think one of the hardest things in professional sports is to be a fringe NBA player,” Young said. “I lived that life for nine years and it’s tough. Guys are trying to do everything they can to get an opportunity and also still be financially stable. So you’re balancing being in Europe and coming back at the same time … All those guys who are getting an opportunity, I think it’s great and I think it’s a great thing for 1) those players and 2) the G League in general.

“That’s what it’s there for, to provide guys opportunities. And I think this is probably the best showcase for that league right now.”

While the quality of basketball across the NBA has been pretty static the last two weeks and will continue to be until more players get out of protocols, it is cool to see these individual stories pop up like Joe Johnson’s moment in Boston for the Celtics.

The Suns already have one of these signings on their roster in forward Emanuel Terry and more could come in the future.

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