Phoenix Suns: Top 10 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season

5. The Tsunami Papi and Valley Boyz hype begins

It didn’t take long for Kelly Oubre Jr. to endear himself to the Suns fanbase. The offensive pressure he took off Devin Booker as a competent slasher made him a welcome addition, much like his penchant for deflections on the other end, but it went well beyond that.

From his pregame drip drip to his patented “Valley Boyz” moniker, Oubre’s arrival signified a noticeable culture shift. He wasn’t a superstar, but he helped bring the team together and gave them a more confident swagger. It certainly didn’t hurt that he played the best basketball of his career in this new environment, surrounded by a young core that Suns fans hope he’ll become a part of for years to come.

On Jan. 8 against the Sacramento Kings, it didn’t feel like a showcase of a new culture or desire to be more competitive. The Suns found themselves trailing by 21 points at home, and a seventh straight loss seemed inevitable. But then Oubre took charge, and the result planted the seed for a new era of basketball in the desert.

Finishing with a then career-high 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals off the bench, “Tsunami Papi” led a Booker-less team back from the brink. He even put the exclamation point on their 21-point comeback with an emphatic left-handed put-back slam with 11.1 seconds left to give Phoenix a three-point lead.

Oubre had already provided a few glimpses of what he brought to the table, but this was the first where that potential impact became crystal clear. The fans were ready to “ride the wave” in that moment, which kicked off a 16-game stretch where Oubre scored in double figures.

It was a rare win for a Suns squad that would soon go on to lose a franchise-worst 17 straight games due to injuries and more roster shakeups, but when Oubre slammed that offensive rebound home, the Valley Boyz wave had begun.