Latest news with #O'Neale
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Suns Reacts Survey: Who should start at the 4 this year?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Phoenix Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Devin Booker and Jalen Green are set to take on guard duties, Dillon Brooks will be one of the wings and Mark Williams will start at center for the Phoenix Suns, but it remains to be seen who will be playing at power forward for them to begin games. With the starting lineup lacking a strong defensive presence, the two main candidates two take the four spot are Ryan Dunn and Royce O'Neale: Here are their two cases. The Case for Ryan Dunn Coming off an inconsistent rookie season, the University of Virginia alum should be seen as the favorite to secure the gig. He's already got experience guarding some of the Western Conference's best wings and his speed, agility, and nearly 7'1' wingspan give him the ability to hold his own on the defensive end. Starting Dunn would also be an extension of the youth movement that the Suns have taken this offseason. He started 44 games last season, and he averaged more points, rebounds and assists than he did coming off the bench. While he's definitely the best option to start from a defensive perspective, Dunn struggled to shoot from three on a consistent basis. He shot just 31.1% from deep on 3.6 attempts per game last year. Additionally, while he only shot 39 of them in his rookie campaign, he shot a poor 48.7% from the free throw line. The Case for Royce O'Neale O'Neale is definitely the safest, most reliable option to start. He was a starter on the No. 1 seeded Utah Jazz in the 2020-2021 season and has started for multiple teams for multiple seasons in his career. Also a solid defender, O'Neale averaged a career high 9.1 points per game last year and shot a career best 40.1% from deep. With Green and Brooks not elite shooters, O'Neale would help the floor spacing in a starting lineup that is projected to struggle from deep. While his production is likely to remain the same, O'Neale is 32 and doesn't project to be apart of the team's long-term plans, and may not provide them with enough in the present to justify him taking the spot over someone younger than him who is apart of the Suns plans. With three years left on his contract and a mid-sized salary, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Suns offload his contract, or trade him for someone younger during the season. That being said, while he's on the team, he could be someone that they rely on in late game situations because of his experience and ability to stretch the floor. He's a bit shorter than Dunn and his wingspan isn't as long, but with his playoff and career experience, he's got a lot of time under his belt guarding some of the best forwards in the NBA. The Case for the Others Rasheer Flemming and Nigel Hayes-Davis are the two other forwards on the team, but due to their inexperience and talent, they probably won't be starting for the Suns at the four spot on opening night. However, like the Suns did at times last season, could the team roll out some untraditional lineups next year and have one of them, or the team's other centers, start a contest alongside Brooks? Last year, when the team was shorthanded in an early-season contest against the Orlando Magic, the Suns rolled out a starting lineup with both Oso Ighodaro and Mason Plumlee in it. The Suns traded for Mark Williams at the same time they drafted Khaman Maluach, so the possibility of a world where they share the court together could be one they are looking to experiment with at some point during the season. Koby Brea is 6'6' and could play some small forward, but with his size and natural position, the two spot, it's unlikely to see him playing the four when he plays. Who do you want to see starting at the power forward spot for the Suns? Let us know. Listen to the latest episode of the Suns JAM Session Podcast below. To stay up to date on every episode, subscribe to the pod on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Podbean, or Castbox. Please subscribe, rate, and review.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kevin Durant's 42 points leads Suns to win over Cavaliers, who have lost 4 straight since 16-game win streak
Kevin Durant scored 42 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to one of its biggest wins of the season, a 123-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. Not only did the Suns beat one of the NBA's top teams, they also moved ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings which would put them in the play-in tournament. Cleveland took an early 11-7 lead, but the Suns went ahead with a 16-9 burst to take the lead. The Cavs briefly went back ahead on a Darius Garland jumper with 42 seconds left in the frame, but Durant gave Phoenix the lead going into the second quarter. ☀️ KEVIN DURANT 40-PIECE ☀️42 PTS | 6 REB | 8 AST | 4 3PMSuns get the big win for their 3rd in a row! — NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2025 The Suns then took control on two 3-pointers from Royce O'Neale and a floater in the lane by Devin Booker for a 49-38 lead and took an 11-point margin into halftime. "Just taking the open ones, knocking them down," O'Neale told the Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin afterwards. "These guys were finding me. You see one, two, three go in, you know, just keep shooting." O'Neale finished with 15 points off the bench, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers. Booker added 17 with 10 assists, while Tyus Jones added 16 points. Oso Ighodaro grabbed 13 rebonds, while Durant also had eight rebounds and six assists for the night. Phoenix played without Bradley Beal, who missed his third consecutive game with a hamstring injury suffered in last Sunday's 107-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He's set to be reevaluated before Sunday's matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. Grayson Allen was also out with a foot injury that's sidelined him for the past five games. The Suns have won three straight and four of their past five. Phoenix and Dallas are both 34-37, but the Suns have the tiebreaker with a 3-1 season record versus the Mavericks. wowowowow, @evanmobley. #LetEmKnow — Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 22, 2025 Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists, with De'Andre Hunter adding 17 off the bench. Evan Mobley and Ty Jerome each scored 16 points with five assists, with Mobley also getting 12 rebounds. After winning 16 straight games, Cleveland has now lost four in a row. With the loss to Phoenix, Cleveland dropped to 56-14 and behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (58-12) for the best record in the NBA. However, the Cavs still hold a five-game lead over the Boston Celtics (51-19) for the top mark in the East. Cleveland has an opportunity to turn things around, ending its Western road trip with matchups against the Utah Jazz (16-55) and Portland Trail Blazers (32-39).
