Phoenix Suns: 4 reasons why T.J. Warren should start over Josh Jackson
By Drew Zlogar
3. Strike while the iron’s hot
T.J. Warren is coming off the most productive and active year of his career last season. The fourth-year player from NC State posted career highs in scoring at 14.4 points per game, rebounds at 5.1 per game and field goal percentage at 49.5 percent. Phoenix might as well go with Warren while he is rolling.
One thing that teams often do is mismanage players in terms of how they are playing at the time. How many moments in a game will you think, “Why are they taking him out now?! He was on fire!”? There could be a case made that T.J. Warren is playing the best basketball of his life, and it would be the wrong move to slow the train down from the speed that Warren is clearly chugging along at.
In fact, after the All-Star break Warren was one of Phoenix’s best players, averaging 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 56 percent shooting.
Warren has been quiet this offseason, which should be a good sign for Suns fans. He will be heading into this season playing the best ball of his career, all while feeling the best he has in years. Coming off a career year in many stat categories, one can make a fair assumption that if he stays healthy, the numbers should continue to rise.
Entering his fourth year as a pro, and also as a Suns player, it is time to see if T.J. Warren can step up to the challenge of being the starting small forward for the franchise. Coming off his career year, it is the smart move to start him and see if he can handle the responsibility that comes with being the nightly starter in Phoenix.