The Athletic's C.J. Holmes on Deandre Ayton's growth + Nico Mannion and Josh Green

LOCKED ON SUNS 2/25/18: Our takeaways from Phoenix's latest loss: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ 106-104 loss to Portland. From the litany of topics we dissected included a quick chat about Devin Booker returning to his normal role, and increasing his perimeter output. How has Elfrid Payton changed the floor spacing for him? With another 30 point effort last night, Booker now has 17 such instances so far this season. Another interesting note to follow here is that in three games with Payton as his backcourt partner, Booker has attempted 11 3s on average. Also, we looked at another change that took place in their guard rotation. Shaquille Harrison, who is on a 10-day contract from the NAZ Suns, once again took Tyler Ulis’ usual minutes. Harrison even saw crunch-time minutes and nearly converted a game-sealing steal on Damian Lillard, who finished with 40 himself including a game-winner with 0.9 seconds. Are we approaching the end of Ulis in Phoeni by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

21 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 11/18/17: Houston + LA recap, Greg Monroe's debut, and Devin Booker's historic start: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan Sidery and Brendon Kleen recap Phoenix's two-game stretch against Houston and LA. Also, how did Greg Monroe look in his debut? We also spent some good time discussing Devin Booker's leap into the elite. Is it time to discuss him being a possible all-time All-Star snub? Sure looks like it thus far if this continues for the Suns' 21-year-old star. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

33 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 10/31/17: Recapping a wild week of Suns basketball: Happy Halloween! In today's episode, Evan and Yusuf recap the Bledsoe situation, discuss Jay Triano's effect on the roster and take a look at a few players who have stood out through the first week. Should Dragan Bender be starting? That and more are discussed so tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

28 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/2/17: Recapping 116-111 loss to the Celtics: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' close loss at The Garden, 116-111. We touched on Booker's 38-point performance, plus inconsistency finding minutes for Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

19 min listen

Locked On Suns 11/2/2017: .500 and it feels so good: Evan Sidery and Yusuf Saleem of Bright Side of the Sun discuss Phoenix's impressive back-to-back slate, which led to them being .500 for the first time since November 2015. After wins over the Nets and Wizards, Jay Triano improved to 4-1 as the Suns head coach. Is this sustainable? Also, we touched on the performances of Dragan Bender, TJ Warren, Devin Booker, and Josh Jackson over this back-to-back in-depth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

27 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/12/17: Recapping 99-92 loss in Sacramento + Is it time to start worrying about Josh Jackson?: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' 99-92 loss in Sacramento. Phoenix is now 0-3 in their last three games without Devin Booker and has yet to eclipse 100 points. After another subpar performance, we also looked at Josh Jackson. Compared to other rookie wings, he's been the worst (ex: Tatum, Anunoby). Is it time to press the panic button on him? Also, we quickly looked ahead to tomorrow night's matchup against Toronto. Make sure to subscribe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

23 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS: Takeaways from round 2 against the Lakers: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Bright Side's Evan Sidery and Brendon Kleen recap Phoenix's 100-93 loss to the Lakers. What were some positives and overall thoughts we took away from the Suns as they drop to 5-10? Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss have their games looked over, as well as Booker's historic start for a 21-year-old as only KD and Steph are currently alongside him in a category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

17 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 11/25/17: Recap of loss to the Pelicans + Mailbag: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, it was just Brendon recapping last night’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, alongside answering your questions from Reddit (By the way, shout out to the r/Suns community for flooding the mailbag!). Evan is currently out of town for the holiday, but Brendon and he will be back together next episode with a lot of guests lined up for the near future. Make sure to subscribe on iTunes podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

25 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS: 2018 draft prospect first impressions with Kellan Olson: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, we have a special one indeed. Evan was joined by Empire of the Suns' Kellan Olson to discuss his top 6 prospects as he unveiled his initial big board this week. Want thoughts on Jaren Jackson, Marvin Bagley, Michael Porter, Deandre Ayton, Mo Bamba, and Luka Doncic as prospects + their overall fits in Phoenix? We have you covered there. Outside of draft talk, we ended with discussing what should be gaining more national steam soon: Devin Booker's historical start as a 21-year-old. Evan and Kellan gave their thoughts on that and what's ahead for the Suns' star guard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

39 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS: Bledsoe trade reaction and week in review: In today's episode of Locked On Suns (sorry for the delay everyone, we have encountered some technical issues that should now be resolved moving forward Monday-Thursday), Bright Side of the Sun's Evan Sidery and Brendon Kleen bring you the latest reactions. What are our thoughts on the Bledsoe trade? What's next for Ryan McDonough to pull? Should they maneuver through the draft, free agency or all? Also, we look back on their last few performances before they face the Lakers on Monday. (Note: Evan called in from the arena after the Suns win over Minnesota, so I could have scratchy signal at some points in this in the bowels of TSR Arena but it's fine for almost all of it.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

38 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/21/17: Recapping another loss in Los Angeles: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Brendon and Evan looked back on another ugly, Devin Booker-less loss on the road. The Clippers rode Austin Rivers to a home victory, but despite struggling to defend Rivers, rookie Josh Jackson had one of his better performances. We looked at Jackson’s performance compared to his season overall. We also discussed, once again, what type of change in the starting lineup might jump-start the offense. Is there any way Tyson Chandler leaves the starting lineup? We talked through the point guard rotation as well, even considering whether Isaiah Canaan might be an option with the starters. Finally, we looked into possible trade scenarios for the Suns as their roster begins to take shape for the second half of the year. Is Greg Monroe on his way out after sitting three of the last four games? Might Kemba Walker be a target for the Suns if Charlotte continues to struggle? Make sure to subscr by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

1 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 11/27/17: Learning more on the Bledsoe trade from the Bucks perspective with FanSided's Ti Windisch: On today's episode, Evan is still out of town until the next episode recapping the Chicago game, so Brendon was joined by FanSided's Ti Windisch to discuss more on the Bledsoe trade from a Milwaukee perspective, alongside what Phoenix has right now in Greg Monroe. Also, they touched on a lot of other fun topics, so tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

30 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/6/17: Lots of prospect and adductor muscle talk: On today's nearly hour-long episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon are joined by Empire of the Suns' Kellan Olson to discuss all the latest Suns news. All three of us were at last night's Valley of the Sun Shootout, which saw two likely top 10 picks, Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams, square off. We spent the first half of the podcast discussing that. Also, we took a deep dive into how we think the Suns will fare over their next 10 games, all likely without Devin Booker after he injured his adductor muscle. We also quickly discussed Woj breaking the news of Mike James signing a new contract before we went on to record. Trade Monroe or Chandler? Waive DJJ? Lots of ground was covered from all angles, so tune in to this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

49 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/14/17: Phoenix falls to 9-21 after 115-109 loss to Toronto: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ fifth straight loss, 10th in last 12 games. After falling to 9-20, the Suns are quickly making up ground in the 2018 tank race alongside Chicago and Sacramento. We touched on that alongside the signings of Danuel House Jr. and Isaiah Canaan. Also, how is the frontcourt looking to us? Interim head coach Jay Triano is still trying to juggle Greg Monroe, Alex Len, and Tyson Chandler’s minutes. How would we do it moving forward? That, plus some discussion on #SarverOut billboards so make sure to subscribe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

21 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/14/17: Phoenix falls to 9-21 after 115-109 loss against Toronto: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ fifth straight loss, 10th in last 12 games. After falling to 9-20, the Suns are quickly making up ground in the 2018 tank race alongside Chicago and Sacramento. We touched on that alongside the signings of Danuel House Jr. and Isaiah Canaan. Also, how is the frontcourt looking to us? Interim head coach Jay Triano is still trying to juggle Greg Monroe, Alex Len, and Tyson Chandler’s minutes. How would we do it moving forward? That, plus some discussion on #SarverOut billboards so make sure to subscribe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

1 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/11/17: ESPN's Baxter Holmes joins the show to talk some Suns and NBA: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, ESPN's Baxter Holmes joins the show to talk about the Suns and the NBA in general. Brendon hosted solo today with Evan busy, but we went over Baxter's feature story on Mike James, leadership importance in a young locker room, the Suns' potential, and much more. Make sure to subscribe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

24 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 11/28/17: Recapping Phoenix’s win in Chicago + our thoughts on David Fizdale: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Brendon Kleen and I recap Phoenix’s win over Chicago while also giving our thoughts on what went down with David Fizdale in Memphis. Should the Suns make a move for him to be their next head coach? We also discussed Devin Booker’s performance on Tuesday night, with a 33-9-4 line. If he keeps this up, will All-Star discussions gain steam? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

24 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/8/17: Recapping loss to Washington + our thoughts on Mike James' new contract: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Brendon and Evan recap Phoenix’ 109-99 loss to the John Wall-less Wizards. We recapped the performances of T.J. Warren, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Josh Jackson, and more. Also, we looked at Mike James’ new contract that keeps him around through July 1. To make room for James, the Suns waived Derrick Jones Jr. Was that the right choice? Then, finally, we quickly looked ahead to Spurs-Suns + Alabama-Arizona tomorrow night in Tuscon. Evan will be there scouting Deandre Ayton again alongside Collin Sexton up-close for the first time. He actually really likes the long-term thought of a Sexton-Booker backcourt if their own pick conveys outside the top five. Enjoy, and make sure to subscribe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

32 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/4/17: Devin Booker drops 46 in a Suns win over Philadelphia: In today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' 115-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Led by a 46-point outburst from Devin Booker, the Suns snagged a road win on their east coast swing. We recapped that, plus a lot of other standout subplots. We also looked at tomorrow's prospect matchup between Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams in Phoenix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

21 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS: Quarterly Stock Reports on #TheTimeline: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon discuss their observations on the core five of the Suns (Booker, Warren, Jackson, Bender, Chriss) plus Jay Triano. Who grades out the best so far? Also, we look at the end of what long-term coaching profile fits this roster best. This is a longer episode, about an hour, as we went rather in-depth. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

56 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 12/21/17: Recapping another loss in Los Angeles: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Brendon and Evan looked back on another ugly, Devin Booker-less loss on the road. The Clippers rode Austin Rivers to a home victory, but despite struggling to defend Rivers, rookie Josh Jackson had one of his better performances. We looked at Jackson’s performance compared to his season overall. We also discussed, once again, what type of change in the starting lineup might jump-start the offense. Is there any way Tyson Chandler leaves the starting lineup? We talked through the point guard rotation as well, even considering whether Isaiah Canaan might be an option with the starters. Finally, we looked into possible trade scenarios for the Suns as their roster begins to take shape for the second half of the year. Is Greg Monroe on his way out after sitting three of the last four games? Might Kemba Walker be a target for the Suns if Charlotte continues to struggle? Learn more about yo by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

1 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 11/20/17: A recap of Phoenix's 113-105 win over the Bulls: In today's episode of Locked On Suns, co-hosts Evan Sidery and Brendon Kleen recap the Suns win Sunday over Chicago. We touched on the likes of T.J. Warren's start and overall performance this year, Mike James, Point Booker, Troy Daniels, Josh Jackson, and Chicago's Lauri Markkanen, Also, Brendon and I looked quickly towards the freight train that is Giannis Antetokounmpo rolling towards Talking Stick Resort Arena alongside Eric Bledsoe Wednesday in his return. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

26 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS: Recapping another loss in Los Angeles: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Brendon and Evan looked back on another ugly, Devin Booker-less loss on the road. The Clippers rode Austin Rivers to a home victory, but despite struggling to defend Rivers, rookie Josh Jackson had one of his better performances. We looked at Jackson’s performance compared to his season overall. We also discussed, once again, what type of change in the starting lineup might jump-start the offense. Is there any way Tyson Chandler leaves the starting lineup? We talked through the point guard rotation as well, even considering whether Isaiah Canaan might be an option with the starters. Finally, we looked into possible trade scenarios for the Suns as their roster begins to take shape for the second half of the year. Is Greg Monroe on his way out after sitting three of the last four games? Might Kemba Walker be a target for the Suns if Charlotte continues to struggle? Learn more about your ad cho by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

29 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 1/27/18: Suns face a turning point in their season: The Suns lost again last night, but these days that’s just not newsworthy enough to be the focal point of a Locked On discussion. After briefly swinging through the reasons for a 107-85 loss at home to the Knicks on Friday night, Brendon and Evan discuss the bigger news of the evening: Devin Booker becoming the starting point guard. He struggled in his debut in that role, scoring just 12 points on 12 shots. But what can that lineup change do for the team going forward? (Yes we touched on the Kanter-Dudley Twitter beef.) Finally, the co-hosts break down a fabulous Saturday of college basketball, including the Collin Sexton-Trae Young battle and big games for Mohamed Bamba and Marvin Bagley. How are the point guard and big man classes looking for the 2018 draft? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

37 min listen

Locked On Suns Christmas Special: Revisiting Evan's one-on-one with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski: Merry Christmas, everybody! On today's special episode, we are going to go back toward right before training camp for a special interview. Before Evan took over as the new host of Locked On Suns, he had a chance to speak with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi about all things Suns on his own platform, BrightSidery. For our nearly 40-minute discussion, we did a complete State of the Suns, looking at their current crop of young players (Devin Booker, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, etc.) and then-head coach Earl Watson. Woj is a big believer in Josh Jackson, so his recent struggles should leave you feeling a little better after hearing him discuss the former Kansas Jayhawk. A quick reminder if you never heard it the first time around, Woj does not have a Skype account. This means, at points, his audio could be a little murky because I had to record off of the TapeACall app, but for most of the time, it by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

36 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS: SI's Jeremy Woo joins us to discuss all things NBA Draft: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon are joined by Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo to discuss all things NBA Draft. We touched on all of the following prospects: Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley, Michael Porter, Trae Young, Troy Brown, Trevon Duval, Collin Sexton, Mohamed Bamba, Miles Bridges, Mikal Bridges, and more. It's likely one or possibly two of those names are Suns come late June so this is a must-listen for everyone trying to get their latest draft fix. We even put Jeremy in general manager Ryan McDonough's shoes for a couple questions and his answers might surprise you. (Ex: Which prospect would he put around Devin Booker to begin their ascent up the West?) Enjoy, and make sure to subscribe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

39 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 1/25/18: The Fan Panel: On today’s episode, Brendon and Evan were joined by Kris and Max, two Suns fans they know from Twitter, about several different topics. First, they touched oh-so-briefly on tonight’s blowout at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, a loss not worth discussing much at all. Indiana did exactly what they did in Phoenix two weeks ago, dissecting the Suns’ perimeter defense on their way to a huge win. Next, Brendon and Evan traded off questions about the team’s future, allowing Kris and Max to step into GM Ryan McDonough’s shoes for a few decisions about the team’s future. Who is the best building block for the team moving forward -- Dragan Bender? Marquese Chriss? Josh Jackson? Is Devin Booker’s real co-pilot available in the 2018 draft, and if so who is it? All four weighed in. Note: I want to point audio was a little shaky at some points, especially with Max, due to poor WiFi connection on Google Hangouts. Apologies for the cut-outs for mere seconds a by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

51 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 2/6/18: 2018 NBA Draft MegaPod with Cole Zwicker and Kellan Olson, Part 1: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, we have a very special episode for you. Evan was joined by Cole Zwicker from The Stepien and Kellan Olson from Arizona Sports 98.7 to discuss the 2018 Draft. We discussed a multitude of secondary ball handlers in Part 1, including prospects such as Jevon Carter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Shake Milton. We also recapped Oklahoma vs. West Virginia. What stood out in Trae Young's 32-point performance? Near the end of Part 1, we started to do thorough, in-depth prospect dives on the top seven prospects. Enjoy this one first, as Part 2 will feature more breakdowns of prospects the Suns could possibly take near the top of the draft. It's 2 hour NBA Draft MegaPod time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

45 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 1/5/18: Should the Suns take the James Harden approach in building around Devin Booker?: On today’s episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns’ 103-89 loss in San Antonio. Without T.J. Warren (illness), Phoenix relied upon Devin Booker to carry even more of a heavier workload, which included backup point guard duties with Isaiah Canaan also out. From the Spurs matchup, we touched on Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, Tyler Ulis and Booker’s performances. Also, we discussed Kevin O’Connor’s great article on Booker over at The Ringer. Diving deeper into his points, is building the roster around the 21-year-old much like Houston did with James Harden the way to go? One interesting stat to follow, Booker now is third (fourth if you still somehow consider Harden an SG) in games where he dishes out 5 or more assists. He has done so 16 times in 31 contests, which puts him on a playmaking-type trajectory many never expected this early. Only DeMar DeRoz by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

35 min listen

LOCKED ON SUNS 1/8/18: Josh Jackson and Dragan Bender break out against OKC: On today's episode of Locked On Suns, Evan and Brendon recap the Suns' best win of the season, 114-100, over Oklahoma City. In the process, we saw #TheTimeline blossom with career-best performances from Josh Jackson and Dragan Bender. We dived into both of their performances, alongside Devin Booker, TJ Warren, Tyler Ulis, and the short time Marquese Chriss was out there as well. Speaking of Bender and Jackson, could these two as plus-passers for their positions really open it up for Booker in the season's second half if it continues to gel? Seemingly Jackson, Chriss, and Bender are all putting it together simultaneously, which is a great sign for the future. We also debated how important the summer of 2018 is for Phoenix. If the Suns finish with 30-33 wins, do they become more attractive to the top tier of the free agent class? Both of us agreed, though, that trading up in the draft could be in the cards with by Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

41 min listen

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