Over a week after the Phoenix Suns were swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Isaiah Thomas joined the “Bully Ball” show on “All the Smoke” with Rachel Nichols and Demarcus Cousins.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The two-time All-Star Thomas signed a rest-of-season contract with the Suns on April 9. Thomas, though brought in for depth purposes, was technically the only point guard on the Suns roster.
A lot of talk has been made about the Suns not having a point guard, so Thomas, who only played in garbage time but was once one of the top point guards in the league, gave his two cents on if that was a problem for the team.
”I think we just tried something that really hasn’t been done before with not having a point guard, and I think it just paid a toll on us in a series where we played against a young, energetic, physical team,” Thomas said. “They kind of knew like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna pressure these guys the whole game to see if they can last and see if guys can really be able to make point guard plays.’ I’m not necessarily saying just because I’m on the team, we needed to play a point guard. Even before I got on the squad, like from afar looking at the Phoenix Suns, I always felt like when it came to the playoffs, that kind of would be a missing piece because ultimately you just can’t play without a point guard, even if it’s you play a point guard 5-10 minutes each and every little half, that’s enough.”
There was a report that came out that coach Frank Vogel asked the front office for a point guard. When asked about this report in his end-of-season press conference last Wednesday, owner Mat Ishbia said he wanted the ball in the Big 3’s (Devin Booker, Kevin Durant Bradley Beal) hands.
“Those decisions, (general manager) James (Jones), Frank (Vogel), the players, everyone talks about these things,” Ishbia said. “Whether you need a point guard, whether you don’t need a point guard, there’s a lot of different discussions. There are two smart people and both people can go different ways. I don’t know if that report is correct by the way, whether Frank thought that or James thought that.
“We make a decision as a team, and I think the way we went with it, most people will argue that you want the ball in those three guys’ hands as much as possible. If you have a point guard or someone else out there, the ball is in their hands less and you have to decide if that is what you want… It doesn’t mean James is right, it doesn’t mean Frank is right. I think they are both on the same page.”
So how did Thomas think this played out going against the NBA’s No. 1 regular-season defense and their tenacious pressure, like he mentioned before? The Timberwolves have kept up this same level of play against the defending-champion Denver Nuggets and now lead them 2-0.
“It was taking a toll on a guy like Bradley Beal,” Thomas said. “It was taking a toll on a guy like Devin Booker, and even Kevin Durant at times because it’s just different things you got to do when you’re a point guard: bringing the ball up, getting guys in position. I don’t think they’ve done that a lot throughout their career. When you go against a team that pressured us full court, that made us bring the ball up and get past half court at 13-14 seconds on the shot clock. That’s tough for 48 minutes.
“It just paid a toll on us. Those guys did a hell of a job, coach put those guys in position to do a hell of a job. It was just we ran into a group, that had some really good energy, that a guy like Anthony Edwards really showcased to the world that he’s here and he’s here to stay. It was tough. But, we didn’t match their energy. We didn’t match their energy throughout the series. And I think that just paid a toll on us, for sure.”
Trade one of the Big 3?
Whenever you have the caliber of players the Suns have with the Big 3, a bad end to the season will bring up some trade rumors surrounding them.
Not only do the Suns have these three stars locked up for around $50 million at least the next two seasons, they have Jusuf Nurkić and Grayson Allen on the books as well for over $15 million a piece. This brings them to having the highest projected salary in the NBA at $209 million next season.
Offseason in Phoenix
📝https://t.co/cSsbgKmXHa pic.twitter.com/C07cXuErrZ
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 29, 2024
But, it was Year 1 and Ishbia said in his press conference that: “Going into next year, knowing that we have the whole starting five back, I feel pretty good about that.”
#Suns owner Mat Ishbia to our @brendan_mau on the importance of continuity:
“It was never, ‘we’re gonna win a championship this year or we got to blow it up.’ It’s just ridiculous stuff.”
“Knowing we have the whole starting 5 back (next year), I feel pretty good about that.” pic.twitter.com/7VQCGcOsCl
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) May 2, 2024
So what does Thomas think of these trade rumors?
“I don’t think they’re going to trade any of them,” Thomas said. “When it went well, when we played well, and those guys really played well, you’ve seen what it could look like on a consistent basis. It just was inconsistency at times, but those guys really rock with each other. I think you just got to figure out who you can put around those guys to complement their personalities, to complement their game, to make things a lot easier for those three guys, and then you move on from there.
“There’s not a lot of options you can go to, so you got to figure out how to make this thing work for the next couple years. And how to maximize their abilities to win a championship, and I think it could happen, I think it’s a great organization. It was the first year for a lot of things, figuring things out, and I think you just got to figure out what’s best for those three and maximize the opportunity you got for the years down the line. Because you only got probably a 2-3 year window in terms of playing at a high level for a guy like Kevin Durant, not necessarily saying he only got three years, but that window is not a five-year window at all.”
Could we see IT back in a Suns jersey next season?
“We’ll see what changes they make,” Thomas said. “Hopefully I’m around to be able to make things easier for those guys. I’m gonna definitely have my two cents and try to be around because it’s definitely a good group of guys and a great organization to be in for sure.”
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
