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Phoenix Suns: 5 Early Season Takeaways

By Gerald Bourguet

Nov 16, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) walks off the court after being ejected from the game during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 120-104. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) walks off the court after being ejected from the game during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 120-104. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
October 31, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren (12) grabs a rebound against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Warren Ready To Break Out

Out of all that chaos on the offensive end, the Suns are lucky to have a player capable of thriving under those conditions like T.J. Warren.

Through the first 15 games of the season, Warren has probably been Phoenix’s best and/or most consistent player, mostly because of his ability to get buckets outside of any discernible, organized offense.

His 17.7 points per game ranks third behind Booker and Bledsoe, but he’s shooting a more efficient 45.8 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from long range. His numbers have tailed off these past two or three games due to illness, but make no mistake about it: Warren is quietly submitting his case for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

Aside from an 18-minute performance in a blowout loss in Denver and a nine-minute outing in Indiana where he was sidelined by illness, Warren has scored in double figures in every single game for the Suns. He’s taken over the starting small forward job, and even if Phoenix was thinking about boosting Tucker’s trade value, Warren won’t relinquish his new job anytime soon.

Devin Booker is the future franchise star, and Suns fans should be cautiously optimistic about their new trio of rookies. Alex Len is in the middle of a big year and has been playing well of late, leaving the quiet, understated Warren to continue going about his business.

Coming off a season-ending foot surgery, Warren was kind of the forgotten man entering the 2016-17 campaign. If games like his career-high 30 points against the Thunder or his 27-point performance against the Blazers have shown us anything, it’s that this 23-year-old could very well be a main staple on the Suns for years to come.

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