Phx-Suns.Net

Which of these players will be in the regular rotation? By that I mean playing meaningful minutes in more games than not.

Yuta and Metu to start…though I think all will spend time in the rotation. Hard to predict later in the season. I imagine KBD finds his way in there. Little also might just need some time to get accustomed.

I have faith in KBD to turn it around. Metu has been interesting but I don't know if he fits in the regular rotation given that we already have DomiNurkic and Eubanks ahead of him.

Yuta seems to be a lock, I'll go with Little as the 2nd forward because I think he's got better size and versatility than KBD. Metu just feels like a backup 5, but he's probably get the 2nd best outside shot after Yuta. I'm just not sure he can switch around guarding smaller players.

Based only on what I've seen in preseason, Yuta is a lock.
Metu has a slight edge on KBD.
Little has underwhelmed, so far.

That can change, obviously. But Yuta has been fairly consistent.

ShelC wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 13, 2023 4:26 pm

Yuta seems to be a lock, I'll go with Little as the 2nd forward because I think he's got better size and versatility than KBD. Metu just feels like a backup 5, but he's probably get the 2nd best outside shot after Yuta. I'm just not sure he can switch around guarding smaller players.

For what it’s worth, KBD is listed as 6’8” with a 7’3” wingspan; Little 6’5” and 7’2”. Bates-Diop is also listed as 10 pounds heavier, 230-220.

KBD hasn’t found his place in this system through the first few games, but I voted for him (along with Yuta) because I think he has more real overall NBA experience and I’m hopeful he will figure it out. It would be nice to be able to put more guys on the floor at the forward position who aren’t necessarily almost always overmatched in terms of physicality.

I thought of Metu as a 5 at first too, but he’s really only played the 4 so far. I think Vogel sees him as a 4 that can play small ball 5, not the other way around.

As others have pointed out, Yuta is an absolute lock. KBD has been disappointing but I’m hopeful he can turn things around in time. Metu has been surprisingly impressive, so he could be a solid candidate at the 4. Little has lived up to his name in what he has shown us so far, but I think he’ll likely get some more opportunities to showcase his abilities. Also, it’s possible our primary backup 4 may just not be on the team yet (we could always make a trade if need be).

BKinSJC wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 13, 2023 5:22 pm

ShelC wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 13, 2023 4:26 pm

Yuta seems to be a lock, I'll go with Little as the 2nd forward because I think he's got better size and versatility than KBD. Metu just feels like a backup 5, but he's probably get the 2nd best outside shot after Yuta. I'm just not sure he can switch around guarding smaller players.

For what it’s worth, KBD is listed as 6’8” with a 7’3” wingspan; Little 6’5” and 7’2”. Bates-Diop is also listed as 10 pounds heavier, 230-220.

Just going by the eye test KBD looks smaller and slighter. He looks about 6-7 215ish and Little looks about 6-6 225. I might just like the idea of Little more than the actual player at this point tho. Neither has done much up to this point.

ShelC wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 13, 2023 6:42 pm

Just going by the eye test KBD looks smaller and slighter. He looks about 6-7 215ish and Little looks about 6-6 225. I might just like the idea of Little more than the actual player at this point tho. Neither has done much up to this point.

I know what you mean about liking the idea of Little. He's younger than most of the guys that signed minimum deals this offseason, somewhat more likely to still have untapped upside, and it could be an investment in the future to see if he can contribute. If he did really develop into a solid rotation piece, that would make one more guy we could count on beyond this year, since he's under team control for the next few seasons at a relatively reasonable price.