The Phoenix Suns are just a tad over 24 hours away from beginning the 2024-25 season when they face former ASU superstar James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix finished 49-33 and sixth in the Western Conference a season ago, the first full year under owner Mat Ishbia. Adding Frank Vogel as head coach, trading for Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkić and Grayson Allen, the team stayed relatively in the hunt for the playoffs and were just able to avoid a play-in spot.
The Suns were then swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves and Vogel was fired as a result.
But with the additions of Monte Morris, Tyus Jones, draft picks of Oso Ighodaro and Ryan Dunn, the “Big 3” of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker still intact and the hiring of Mike Budenholzer, Phoenix looks to be a force in the NBA.
New era loading, Clippers on deck
Kickstarting the new journey, Phoenix will go up against a Clippers team who are without Kawhi Leonard indefinitely because of a knee injury and traded away Paul George. Leonard isn’t expected to be back at the beginning of the season and has no timetable for a possible return.
Despite Harden being the face of the team currently, Los Angeles prides itself on its defensive brand of basketball and the next-man-up mentality. Even when missing Leonard and with mostly a young roster, the Clippers still have Ivica Zubac, Norman Powell and Kris Dunn who have a wealth amount of experience at the highest level.
When observing what the Clippers have and how they pose a threat to the Suns, star Devin Booker believes that Harden will lead the way but they have the depth to compete as well.
“They are just well-rounded. Top to bottom, they have a lot of defensive-minded players on their team. Obviously we know what James [Harden] is capable of, especially in a situation like this. I think they guard really well, I think they are versatile on the defensive end and they have a lot of people who take pride in it,” Booker said after practice Tuesday.
For Jones, who is set to make his Suns debut Wednesday, he shared relatively the same sentiment as Booker about giving the Clippers credit for what they have and how they play.
“They got a lot of talent, lot of skilled players, especially at the guard spot. I know they had a couple of additions to their roster, James is going to have a bigger role this year which he is more than capable of. The talent level is definitely there,” Jones said.
“The talent level is definitely there.”
Phoenix Suns guard Tyus Jones on the talent that the Los Angeles Clippers possess and how the two teams’ guard depth are unique in their own ways.#SunsUp #NBA #ClipperNation https://t.co/OOCbpVIXUu pic.twitter.com/lFeFg04JMB
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) October 22, 2024
This will be the first regular-season home game for the Clippers at the brand-new Intuit Dome, a $2 billion state-of-the-art arena in Inglewood, Calif. The 18,000-seated venue features a massive Halo board jumbotron, a steep fan section called “The Wall” which is 51 rows of seats jammed together to create the ultimate home-court advantage and more.
The Intuit Dome is the newest arena in the NBA and has had a lot of hype around it since it opened on Aug. 15 due to its futuristic look. The Clippers left the historic Crypto.com Arena, formerly Staples Center, last season after they used to share the facility with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings (NHL) and Sparks (WNBA).
Seeing all of the media and videos surrounding the Intuit Dome, Jones looks forward to experiencing what it will be like playing inside it for the first time.
“It’ll be fun seeing the new arena, and there has been a lotta talk about it. I am interested to see it and I saw a few clips of the 360-degree board, so it’ll be cool to see in person,” Jones said.
Phoenix has high expectations coming into this season with the roster that it has and how much time is left in the “win-now” window. Both Durant and Beal have one more year left on their contracts, with Beal having a player-option for 2026-27.
Starting a new era in his career, Budenholzer, a Holbrook native, is proud to represent his hometown team and wants to bring home an NBA title. He is a five-time NBA champion, including helping the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Suns in 2021.
Anticipating getting this season underway, Budenholzer is ready for the first tip and helping the organization get to where it wants to be.
“If you’re not a little bit nervous going into any game, there’s probably something wrong. I think there is that competitiveness and anticipation of the game. I guess nervousness has some type of negative connotation and I think it should be a positive. Excited about opening night, excited about the team being able to play and compete in games that are meaningful,” Budenholzer said.
“If you are never nervous going into any game, there’s probably something wrong.”
With the regular season opener a bit over 24 hours away against the Los Angeles Clippers, Mike Budenholzer expressed that nervousness can be a positive. #SunsUp #NBA #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/iJKtHIWlqs
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) October 22, 2024
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
