Brandon Knight, P.J. Tucker benched for T.J. Warren and Devin Booker
Dec 21, 2015, 6:33 PM
Following a blown lead and loss to the Milwaukee Bucks that had Suns coach Jeff Hornacek questioning his starters’ effort, Phoenix will make two changes to its starting lineup Monday against the Utah Jazz.
The Suns announced they will bench guard Brandon Knight and forward P.J. Tucker and start rookie guard Devin Booker and second-year forward T.J. Warren. That duo will run with point guard Eric Bledsoe, forward Jon Leuer and center Tyson Chandler.
This comes after Hornacek criticized his team’s performance after it blew a 15-point lead halfway through the third quarter on Sunday night.
“I just didn’t think all night that the starters were as active as they usually are,” a visibly upset Hornacek said after the game. “The bench, in the first half, got us back in the game and they had the energy tonight, the bench guys. So we got to get everybody playing at the same time and the only way you’re going to get out of it is to keep battling and play every play like it’s the last play.”
While the starting unit had too many turnovers, failed to get back in transition and lacked energy on defense, the second unit impressed with its ball movement and effort.
Warren, who has scored in double-figures the past four games, scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting but was the beneficiary of lively ball movement. Booker, despite 2-for-15 shooting and DNP-Coach’s decision in one of his last five games, has shown savvy playing within himself.
