Phoenix Suns: 5 Reasons To Keep Watching In A Lost Season

5. The Dark Knight Rises

A sizable contingent of Suns fans have already given up on Brandon Knight’s fit in Phoenix. He takes terrible shots, he’s shown zero chemistry sharing the backcourt with Bledsoe, he’s turnover-prone, he’s injury-prone, Devin Booker will make him expendable soon, and he might be the worst defender in the NBA that nobody’s talking about.

Wednesday night’s loss to the Knicks marked the 20th straight game Knight has missed due to a groin injury, though his status was upgraded to “questionable” beforehand. Watson wouldn’t say after the game when Knight might return, and in a lost season like this, the Suns certainly won’t be rushing him back onto the court.

But if there are no random setbacks and he does return this season, think of the remaining games he plays as a sort of trial period, or a chance to prove himself — either as a starter or a role that might be more suitable for him, sixth man. Let’s be honest: How many more games of Ronnie Price being the team’s primary point guard can you really tolerate?

While the lack of a true point guard was good for Archie Goodwin‘s development and Devin Booker’s progress as a playmaker, it made the Suns brutally difficult to watch, and Price’s return has done little to change matters.

For those worried about Knight’s return helping the team win games and hurting Phoenix’s standing in the draft lottery, A) Knight’s playing style might actually make things worse on this roster and B) even if he helps the Suns win a few games, Phoenix is still a game “ahead” of the Brooklyn Nets and a distant 3.5 games “behind” the Los Angeles Lakers.

If the Suns want a top-two pick, they’re going to need enough lottery luck to leapfrog the Lakers regardless of how many games Knight plays.

Next: No. 4