00:00Hello Suns fans, we're looking ahead to Tuesday's play-in showdown against the Portland Trailblazers,
00:06and the latest injury report brings a mix of cautious optimism for both sides.
00:10For Phoenix, there is a real possibility that guard Grayson Allen could see the floor.
00:15He is officially listed as questionable due to left hamstring soreness, an issue he tweaked
00:21during Friday's loss. Having him available would be a massive lift for the team's offensive flow.
00:26He operates as the second-best engine for ball movement on this roster, just behind Devin Booker.
00:31Recently, opposing defenses have been less hesitant to sag off, forcing Booker and others into more
00:37isolation situations and limiting the Suns' ability to swing the ball around the perimeter.
00:42Allen's presence serves as an X-factor in re-establishing that rhythm, especially since
00:47Jalen Green and Dylan Brooks have shown some inconsistency in that connective role, and we
00:51can't overlook his elite shooting, which creates maximum driving lanes for everyone else on the
00:56floor. Speaking of Jalen Green, both he and Jordan Goodwin have been removed from the injury report
01:01after dealing with issues on Wednesday. Phoenix desperately needs Green's slashing pressure
01:07and his ability to make smart decisions against two elite rim protectors in Donovan Klingon and
01:13Robert Williams III. Meanwhile, Goodwin's on-ball defense will be critical against a Portland squad
01:19that loves to attack the paint. He will be vital in coverage assignments against explosive guards
01:23like Shaden Sharp and Scoot Henderson, and he may even see minutes matched up with all-star
01:27Denny Avdija. If Grayson Allen is unable to go, that opens up rotation opportunities for players like
01:34Haywood Highsmith, Ryan Dunn, or Rasheer Fleming to absorb those minutes. The most significant development
01:40on the injury report, however, came from the other locker room. Blazers forward Jeremy Grant has been
01:48upgraded to questionable after missing the previous seven games with a right calf strain. While there
01:53might be a bit of gamesmanship involved, much like the uncertainty around Allen, the Suns must prepare
01:59as if Grant is playing because he has been a nightmare matchup for Phoenix this season. He is a long
02:04physical wing who has been virtually unstoppable when attacking downhill against this defense.
02:09In his two meetings with the Suns, he shot a blistering 61% from the field and averaged 23 points
02:15per game.
02:16Furthermore, he has been Portland's most reliable three-point shooter, converting 38.9% of his 6.1
02:23attempts per game for a team that ranks near the bottom of the league in overall three-point percentage.
02:29The aforementioned trio of Suns' wings would be of major assistance in containing both Grant
02:34and Portland's other slashers. While Dunn and Fleming have been majorly inconsistent as on-ball defenders,
02:40if Haywood Highsmith is indeed fully healthy after returning from a 12-game absence on Sunday,
02:45he appears to be the best bet to fill that critical role. After Monday's practice,
02:50Devin Booker and assistant coach Jordan Ott shared their thoughts on some of the key aspects heading
02:54into this matchup, when asked about defenses forcing him to look for his own shot more frequently.
02:59As of late, Booker kept it simple and direct. He said,
03:02Go score the ball, do what I do best and make adjustments from there.
03:05He also offered high praise for Tumani Kamara, the player Phoenix drafted and later traded.
03:11Booker noted,
03:11He's gotten a lot more confident. He's gotten a lot more physical. He's one of the best defenders
03:16in the league. Reflecting on another potential duel with veteran guard Drew Holiday, Booker expressed
03:21deep respect, saying,
03:23We've competed at the highest level, and then competed together at the highest level right after,
03:29someone that I have ultimate respect for, in my opinion, one of the most underrated players
03:34to ever play the game. Always enjoy it.
03:37Booker also touched on teammate Colin Gillespie's recent stretch of play, expressing confidence by
03:43stating,
03:43I think he'll be fine. He lives for these moments. He just needs the extra adrenaline and there will
03:48be a lot of that tomorrow. Regarding the challenge of guarding Denny Avdija, who excels at drawing
03:53fouls, Booker explained,
03:55He does a good job with sweep-throughs. He's physical. He creates the contact and then falls
03:59out of it a lot. It's a tough coverage. The key, according to Booker, is smart aggression,
04:03he emphasized. You definitely have to, like you say, keep your hands out of the cookie jar,
04:08or else he'll find them. But you don't want to be hesitant and just let him score the basketball
04:12either. So it's finding that balance, finding a way to be disruptive. Assistant coach Jordan Ott
04:18provided further strategic insight, beginning with the extreme discrepancy in second chance points
04:24against Portland. I think that's going to be a big key, Ott said. We both like to attack the
04:29offensive glass, kind of do it in a similar way where we just send bodies. They have some more
04:35size at some parts where we're just really going to have to make the first hit. That has not changed
04:40from the very first drill we did back in training camp. Nothing changes for us. We got to really hit
04:45and then get multiple bodies in there to try and get the rebound. He also noted the importance of
04:50managing possessions, adding,
04:52Our own turnover numbers have been good the last couple of months. I think that's a new group
04:56trying to get together. A new system. I don't think that is abnormal. So some of those things
05:01we cleaned up, it's huge. That's part of the possession game that we always talk about.
05:06When evaluating Donovan Clingin's unique ability as a pick and pop big man, Ott pointed out the
05:12layered difficulty of guarding this Portland offense. That's why it's unique. They're five out
05:17and they have incredible drivers. That's the challenge. They can really put pressure on your
05:22defense by those guys, getting in the paint, and then they have four other shooters on the perimeter.
05:27It's a combination of his pick and pop or him just spacing. We've seen the numbers. We know that
05:32he's definitely more than capable. It's not getting him into a rhythm. That's the key part. We don't want
05:37just any straight catch and shoot easy rhythm shots. Summing up the opponent, Ott concluded,
05:42They play very fast. Great at driving the ball. They really attack the offensive glass. And then
05:48defensively, they just have great length on the wing. Great size inside. They're super physical.
05:53We have to value the possessions. Each possession like we've talked about for months now.
05:58There is so much nuance riding on the availability of two questionable players and the execution of a
06:03disciplined game plan, given the stakes of a play-in environment and the clear physicality Portland
06:07brings. Do you believe the Sun's ball movement and defensive discipline will be the deciding factor,
06:12or does the sheer slashing power of this trailblazers squad pose too great a mismatch regardless
06:17of who is in the lineup?
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