Phoenix Suns: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 Media Day

5. Alan’s absence and other injury updates

As the team would announce later in the day, backup big man Alan Williams underwent surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his right knee and won’t return to full basketball activity for approximately six months.

This places his tentative return around March 25 — at which point in time, there’d be eight games left in the season. More than likely, Big Sauce will be missing the entire 2017-18 campaign — the only season of his three-year deal that is guaranteed.

First things first: This is awfully sad news for Williams and the fans who had fallen in love with the Phoenix native’s bench celebrations and surprisingly strong play. General manager Ryan McDonough even went as far as calling Big Sauce the most popular player among Phoenix’s teammates.

"“Alan had a great summer and that’s one of the difficult parts about it,” he said. “He got his first big contract so we were happy to give that to him, and he did everything we asked of him this summer.”"

With the team’s third-string center out (or backup, depending on your opinion of Alex Len and his uninspired finish to the 2016-17 season), the team plans on playing sophomores Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender at the 5 a bit more.

With Tyson Chandler turning 35 next week and Len desperate to prove his worth on a one-year qualifying offer, all hands are on deck in the frontcourt.

"I’m not really sure there’s any positions in basketball anymore,” head coach Earl Watson said. “We drafted Dragan [Bender] and Marquese [Chriss] for the future of basketball, and that’s now. Because they’re versatile, they can play either position.”"

For Chriss, the extra weight he’s put on figures to help him battle down low when he’s filling in at the 5, but rebounding and defense are major concerns — even if he’s able to spread the floor on the other end as effectively as he showed in spurts as a rookie.

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"“Basketball-wise, we want him to get in front of the ball, offensively and defensively,” Watson said. “He has to rebound and he understands that.”"

As for Bender, though he’s put on some muscle over the summer, he’d definitely be outmatched by more traditional bigs down low. His rim protection and ability to switch onto ball-handlers in pick-and-roll situations would get a chance to shine, however, and on the offensive end, he could be an effective playmaking big.

"“I played at that position last year also in some parts of the season, so it’s definitely not strange to me,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to that challenge. There’s definitely going to be problems with the physical part on the defensive end if you battle players like DeMarcus Cousins or someone like that, but on the opposite end, it’s pretty much the same role for me like I had last year.”"

But what of Len, the team’s backup center who is playing on a one-year “prove it” deal before unrestricted free agency? It sounds like he’s still very much in the picture, and McDonough said he believes Len has the ability to be an elite rebounder and defensive presence in the middle.

The key to seeing more consistency out of the seven-footer revolves around simplifying the game for him.

"“In a lot of ways you’ll see his role simplified this year, especially offensively,” McDonough said. “That’ll probably mean more pick-and-rolls, more dives to the rim for bounce passes or lobs rather than traditional post-ups. And then I’m hopeful he’ll embrace that role as a defender and rim protector."

"“This summer I worked on a lot of different things, just overall skills like fundamentals,” Len elaborated. “Not doing too much or too many different moves, just stick to simple stuff. Jump hook in the middle, counter, stuff like that. Just get good at it, not just work on a lot of things; work on a few things but get really good at it.”"

Suns fans may be down on Len as a former No. 5 overall pick, but McDonough was quick to point out he’s still only 24 years old, that the team has high hopes for him, and that no one would rather see him have a good year so they can pay him next summer thanks to the team’s cap flexibility.

Other Suns injury updates:

• After undergoing right ankle surgery in May, Tyler Ulis is completely healthy and has been playing pickup games for the last few weeks.
• Jared Dudley, who underwent surgery on his toe in late June and was projected to return in four months, seems to be on schedule. Dudley said he will start getting back into basketball shape around mid-October and expects to be back on an NBA court by early November.
• Though Brandon Knight will be missing the entire 2017-18 season with his ACL tear, he was pretty optimistic at the podium, saying, “I’m definitely not frustrated, it’s part of the process. Nobody wants to be injured, but I always try to keep a positive mindset no matter what’s going on. So whether it be injuries or not, I’m just trying to take it day by day and control what I can control.”
• Davon Reed, the Suns’ second round draft pick who underwent meniscus surgery in late August and is expected to miss 4-6 months, said he won’t return until he’s 100 percent healthy, taking the same “one day at a time” approach as Knight without setting a timeline for his return.