Game Day (Preseason): Suns (1-0) vs Nets (1-0), Fri 10/10/25

[virtual9mm]

I am going to end up really liking this team. They're scrappy, hard working, and just won't quit. They're going to surprise a lot of people.

I greatly underestimated how skilled Brooks is. Just not quite enough to be a top offensive talent but definitely enough to be the ultimate glue guy.

[ShelC]

Law of averages, Nets couldn't keep shooting the way they were and the Suns just stayed the course. Still not shooting well from 3 but much better on the boards and getting to the rim.

[virtual9mm]

Law of averages, Nets couldn't keep shooting the way they were and the Suns just stayed the course. Still not shooting well from 3 but much better on the boards and getting to the rim.

Hustle and blue collar work. I'm loving it. Especially that possession where they got 7 offensive rebounds in a row even though they also missed like 7 open 3's.

[Mori Chu]

Maluach struggling a bit. 0 points and 3 fouls. And he airballs a 3 as I'm typing this, oof. A lot of our guys are in foul trouble, with all our starters minus Book having 4 or more.

We're down 6 again but the hustle and energy and overall flow have mostly been much better in the 2nd half.

[virtual9mm]

Maluach is a very smart player already, rookie mistakes aside. He won't bust as long as he doesn't get hurt.

Fleming looks serviceable.

[virtual9mm]

Maluach struggling a bit. 0 points and 3 fouls. And he airballs a 3 as I'm typing this, oof. A lot of our guys are in foul trouble, with all our starters minus Book having 4 or more.

We're down 6 again but the hustle and energy and overall flow have mostly been much better in the 2nd half.

Our players just aren't good shooters.

[Mori Chu]

I like Maluach and think that if he maybe doesn't try to shoot so much, he'll be a valuable asset. He seems to have good hands and court vision and is a capable passer. And he's very tall/long so he can be a good defender, shot-blocker, and rebounder. All of that is super helpful; he doesn't also need to chuck 3s or try to generate offense for us. If he plays a little more carefully and more within himself, I think he could be really good in time.

[Mori Chu]

Tie game with 5 seconds left!

[carey]

Didn't get to watch cause at work but crazy to me we started out so bad and won. Esp shooting so poorly.

[ShelC]

Good come-from-behind win. The Nets' start was flukey and we were definitely cold. 2nd half switched things up and we took the lead. I mostly care about how the starters/rotational guys look in the meat of the game. We're still missing a true 4 and that's going to hurt us on the boards. CG had more rebounds than our starters combined so that needs to be a point of emphasis. Also don't love how much we're fouling. Oso, Brooks and Dunn with 4 each this game and while you want aggressive defense, it's got to be smart. I'm sure the refs are calling things tighter early in the year as they usually do but we've been overly aggressive and picking up bad fouls that just aren't necessary. Hopefully the refs loosen up a bit and/or they start giving our guys some leeway once our defensive rep is established.

The pace and movement are there, the hustle is there and we didn't lay down or deviate early on when the Nets had their 16-18 point lead most of the half. We stuck with it and weathered the storm, which was something we did well on the CP-led teams. Didn't become hero/ISO ball, didn't stop defending or hustling out to shooters.

Just 11-42 from 3 with Brooks 2-10 (something we'll see a few times). Book only 9 shots but got to the line 9 times. CG with a team high +15 and 11pts, 9rbs.

[Carno]

I have to disagree with all the negative comments on Oso. He is most definitely a better NBA player than Nick Richards. The only thing Nick does better than Oso is rebound, and maybe low post defense against large opposing centers. Everything else Oso is equal to or better. His defensive and offensive IQ are off the charts. Oso is starting over Richards because he is a better player. It's pretty clear that Ott values his high IQ and motor. Based on what I've seen so far, Oso gets the backup role when the season starts, while Nick gets spot minutes.

[Carno]

One thought I had watching this game: I can't wait for Jared Butler to be off this team. His guard play is barely Summer League quality. He makes the Suns summer league PGs look like All-stars.

[ShelC]

I have to disagree with all the negative comments on Oso. He is most definitely a better NBA player than Nick Richards. The only thing Nick does better than Oso is rebound, and maybe low post defense against large opposing centers. Everything else Oso is equal to or better. His defensive and offensive IQ are off the charts. Oso is starting over Richards because he is a better player. It's pretty clear that Ott values his high IQ and motor. Based on what I've seen so far, Oso gets the backup role when the season starts, while Nick gets spot minutes.

I think they just bring different skillsets and should be used based on matchups. I wish we ran more screen and rolls for Oso because he's good enough catching and finishing or knowing where to make the kickout. If he could make reliably make that flip shot he'd be extremely hard to guard. Sometimes you just need a biggger, longer true center out there to hit the boards, which we needed today against the Nets' longer bigs like Claxton and Sharpe.

[AmareIsGod]

Maluach struggling a bit. 0 points and 3 fouls. And he airballs a 3 as I'm typing this, oof. A lot of our guys are in foul trouble, with all our starters minus Book having 4 or more.

We're down 6 again but the hustle and energy and overall flow have mostly been much better in the 2nd half.

Our players just aren't good shooters.

We were one of the best shooting teams from every area of the court percentage-wise last season and that didn't get us very far.

[ShelC]

We have no shooting in the frontcourt and most of our perimeter guys are streaky - like Brooks and Royce. Grayson was off today but I think he'll have a real good year and he's reliable. CG is a good shooter, Book and Green are more scorers than shooters but both can shoot. I'm sure we'll have games where guys are off - today Brooks, Royce and Grayson were 3-18 from 3 combined.

Interestingly, Dunn has only taken one 3 so far in preseason. He was surprising everyone early last year with his shot. Was hoping he'd be letting it fly, would hate to see him regress back to his college days.

[Superbone]

Had to put a reminder in my phone so I don't miss it. Nice way to start a Friday.

2-0! What a fun Friday morning to wake up to Suns basketball with my coffee. Nets started out the game looking like all-world. Couldn't miss. Suns got down as much as 18 but never gave up and clawed their way back in it. This game had everything. Suns rookies closed it out and took it to OT and finished OT with the win! We saw flashes from Man Man and Fleming. Loved Fleming's block!

Great way to start a Friday morning! And can I just say how impressed I am with rookie head coach Jordan Ott? The man has our team ready to play right out of the gate. Love a lot of our execution and defensive intensity. Suns basketball is fun again! What a breath of fresh air.

[Superbone]

Suns ice cold to start, Nets are blazing hot. The effort is there but the shots aren't falling, we're also not working for great or easy shots. Oso with some aggression off the dribble but no one else is really a threat to score and we're not getting the ball to Book enough. Also thought Ott should've called a TO sooner than he did just to regroup, stop the Net's momentum and maybe give the guys a breather. That's one of things I'll be watching for with him and the staff - knowing when to take TOs, making adjustments thru the ebbs and flows of the game.

Speaking of that, I loved Ott's timeout later in the game when a Net player shot a wide open three. Immediate time out to correct. Probably the only uncontested shot of the game.

[Superbone]

Yep, not a good start at all for the Suns. They got some decent looks but didn’t drop early - but mainly from the mid range (and very few of the kind of shots they would like to be creating). Defense was non exisitant in the opening exchanges - Nets just doing whatever they wanted.

I didn't see that to be honest. I thought we were playing decent defense but the Nets were just hitting everything. But the Suns definitely turned up the screws in the second half. Ott must have given them some good motivation.

[Superbone]

It's OK, Eddie. You don't have to be afraid.

[Superbone]