Phoenix Suns: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 preseason opener

The Phoenix Suns dropped their preseason opener for the 2018-19 NBA season, but there were several positives (and a few negatives) to take away from the loss.

The Igor Kokoskov era is officially underway for the Phoenix Suns, and although they dropped their preseason opener at home Monday night, there were several positives to take away from the exhibition game.

In a 106-102 defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix led for most of the way despite its best player, Devin Booker, being sidelined by a hand injury. His absence makes it difficult for a new offensive system to find its footing, but the Suns were fairly competitive for a team missing Booker (and pretty much every 3-pointer they took).

On a night where the Suns shot 3-for-22 from downtown (13.6 percent), the Kings were vastly superior from beyond the arc, finishing 11-for-25 from deep (44 percent). Yogi Ferrell led the way with 26 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, while Willie Cauley-Stein added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The most obvious takeaway from the night was Phoenix desperately needs a starting-caliber point guard, but since that low-hanging fruit wasn’t going to suddenly change after one preseason game anyway, there are more notable lessons to be learned here.

Preseason is just preseason, but after a couple of strong performances and a few unsavory ones, here are the three biggest takeaways from the Phoenix Suns’ 2018-19 preseason opener.