Isaiah Thomas: Suns could use a point guard, Big 3 ‘rocked with each other’
May 9, 2024, 8:39 AM
Soon-to-be free agent Isaiah Thomas is not sounding the alarms about the Phoenix Suns after spending a chunk of the 2023-24 season with them.
But he did speak candidly with Bully Ball podcast co-hosts Rachel Nichols and DeMarcus Cousins about his time with Phoenix and, most notably, its rotation not featuring a natural point guard.
“I’m not necessarily saying because I’m on the team (that) we need to play a point guard,” Thomas said on the podcast released Monday. “Even before I got on the squad, from afar looking at the Phoenix Suns, I always felt like when it came to the playoffs that kind of would be a missing piece. Ultimately, you just can’t play without a point guard. Even if it’s you play a point guard five to 10 minutes each and every half, that’s enough.
“It was taking a toll on a guy like Bradley Beal, it was taking a toll on a guy like Devin Booker. Even Kevin Durant.”
Isaiah Thomas’ perspective on the Phoenix Suns and their Big 3
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Thomas worked his way back onto an NBA roster after a bout of injuries in the past few seasons and made the postseason roster despite not being in the regular rotation.
He last played for the Charlotte Hornets in 2022 but used a stint with the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars as a launching pad to sign with Phoenix in March.
From there, he served as an active veteran voice alongside midseason pickup Thaddeus Young.
Thomas said on the Bully Ball podcast that head coach Frank Vogel put his best players “in a position to do a helluva job” considering the circumstances but added the first-round sweep of the Timberwolves was about the Suns not being able to match Minnesota’s energy.
“I think it just paid a toll on us in a series where we played against a young, energetic, physical team that kind of knew, like, ‘We’re going to pressure these guys the whole game to see if they can last,'” Thomas said of the T-Wolves.
So what’s Thomas’ perspective on the Suns’ current roster structure beyond the point guard issue? Are there problems festering?
He’s quite aware Phoenix is in a tight spot financially.
As worries by Suns fans about Kevin Durant and Devin Booker’s unhappiness are perpetuated by national trade rumors and hearsay, Thomas is not as concerned about the team figuring things out around its trio of star players.
“I don’t think they’re going to trade any of them. When we played well and those guys really played well, you seen what it could look like … it was just inconsistency at times,” Thomas said. “But those guys really rocked with each other. You just got to figure out who you can put around those guys to complement their personalities, to complement their game, to make things a lot easier for those three guys. And then you move on from there. Like you said, there’s not a lot of options you can go to.
“Hopefully I’m around to be able to, you know, make things easier for those guys. I’ma definitely have my two cents in and try to be around because it’s definitely a great group of guys and a great organization to be in, for sure.”
