EMPIRE OF THE SUNS

Phoenix Suns staying active in gap of competition before regular season

Oct 15, 2024, 4:31 PM

Suns...

The Phoenix Suns bench reacts after a basket during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Acrisure Arena on October 06, 2024 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

PHOENIX — The NBA schedule presents many challenges and the first is a quirk before the regular season even gets going.

The preseason normally ends on a Friday, with no games for a team until the upcoming Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. And for a team like the Phoenix Suns, after beating the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, they’ve got one game across nine days before the real deal gets underway.

What is Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer focusing on over that time?

“Trying not to have the players kill me. That’s a lot of days without games for an NBA guy,” he said.

He’s somewhat joking but he’s also right.

Phoenix got some scrimmaging in on Tuesday and will get plenty more in before leaving for L.A. prior to the season opener against the Clippers on Oct. 23. By the end of the weekend, Suns players will be sick of playing each other and will be chomping at the bit to compete with an actual opponent.

The good news is that this gives Phoenix a chunk of time to get 100% healthy.

Devin Booker missed the last two preseason games due to a sore right ankle but is now all good to go. The same cannot be said for Jusuf Nurkic (left middle finger) and Grayson Allen (Achilles soreness), who Budenholzer said are not participating in contact work just yet. Nurkic has been out all preseason while Allen’s absence was initially for personal reasons on Oct. 8 before that soreness kept him out the whole week across three contests.

“Those guys, it’s gonna take them a little bit more but today was a great first step,” Budenholzer said, noting Nurkic has been doing a great job keeping his conditioning in a good spot while the finger heals up.

That did not sound like a good endorsement for either suiting up in Thursday’s preseason finale but there’s five more days after that leading up to the Suns’ regular season beginning the following Wednesday.

The Suns will tighten up a lot over this week-plus.

“There’s some execution stuff that we tried to clean up today. I think you try and keep adding to your defensive toolbox. There’s special situations that you gotta touch on to get ready for a game. All those things will also be — it’s a long year, you keep building on it.”

Ryan Dunn’s summer work with Suns

The turnaround for Suns rookie Ryan Dunn with his 3-point shot in the preseason has caught many eyes. Dunn has equaled his total of 3-point makes from his two years at Virginia (12) in just four preseason games.

This begs the question of, uh, how exactly this has happened.

From an eye test perspective, a lot of it is Dunn’s mindset and the rapid progression in his confidence to shoot compared to college. Here’s what he said he saw watching back Sunday’s 6-for-11 night from 3.

“I put in a lot of work on my shot so it was good to see the confidence in myself just taking them, and seeing them go in was good,” Dunn said. “Sometimes, those shots that I missed it was just the way I took ’em. … Shots that are a little bit like, ‘What the heck is he doing?’ but it felt good coming out of my hands so just keeping it up now.”

Dunn is referencing some of the less traditional 3s he was taking, in transition and such. But it’s a safe bet the Suns’ coaching staff at this stage just wants him to keep shooting it to maintain confidence.

There has not been much of a mechanical overhaul. The shots side-by-side don’t look too different. There is a split opinion on what exactly goes into a young player turning into a reliable 3-point shooter but everyone will agree it starts with putting in the work.

All those around the Suns at this stage have raved about his work ethic. Dunn after practice on Tuesday got up extra 3s with Jalen Brides and Josh Okogie before getting in another 10 minutes on his own.

Dunn elaborated on some of the subtle things he’s been either tweaking or staying consistent with.

“I would say just balance in my shot and just getting constant reps with that,” Dunn said. “It starts with my feet laying the same way, taking the same footsteps to get to my shot. I think just footwork and balance are the biggest thing. And keep letting it fly.”

Dunn agreed that the base of his shot is more consistent, something the best shooters will tell you is the most important part of a good jump shot. He said his old college teammates have been reaching out and noticing the uptick, saying they are proud of the work he is putting in. And the way that Dunn speaks reflects a guy who is hardly satisfied and is going to keep sticking with the work.

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