Did faltering Suns find a point guard?
OKLAHOMA CITY – New day. Different opponent.
Same result for the Phoenix Suns. Oklahoma City handed them a fifth straight loss, 117-110, in picking up its first win of the season on Sunday.
Turnovers once again destroyed Phoenix (1-5). The Suns committed 22 that led to 22 Thunder (1-4) points.
“I don’t even know, I don’t even know,” said Suns rookie 7-footer Deandre Ayton when asked about why turnovers continue to plague them.
Phoenix has allowed a staggering 129 points off 101 turnovers in this five-game skid.
“I got two turnovers myself in the full-court set,” Ayton continued as he had three total for the game. “I don’t know if it’s lack of awareness or not really focusing on where we’re passing or what we’re doing when we pass.”
The Suns are still without leading scorer Devin Booker, who missed a second straight game with a hamstring injury as they played the Thunder in a second of a back-to-back.
It seems like his 35-point performance in Phoenix’s opener win over Dallas happened a long time ago. They’re tired of losing in the same manner.
“We’ve just got to continue to learn who we are as a team,” Suns veteran center Tyson Chandler said. “We’ve got to do a better job of understanding each other and getting each other in a position to succeed. Right now, it’s too much thinking and not enough playing and re-
acting and we know we’ve got to get that point.”
They return home looking to snap the skid Wednesday against San Antonio. Chandler isn’t sure if Phoenix will “get to that point,” by then, but the Suns have reasons to feel optimistic starting with their rookie point guard – Elie Okobo.
The second-round pick out of France followed up a 12-point effort Saturday against Memphis with a team-high 18point performance against the Thunder.
“I was trying to help my teammates the best that I can,” Okobo said. “I was trying to be really aggressive and do what I can do on the court.”
Okobo replaced starter Isaiah Canaan, who left the game in the first quarter with a strain to the same left ankle he severely damaged last season.
Canaan said he could've returned, but the trainers didn’t want to risk turning something minor into something major.
“I was like, ah naw, not again, but it was fine,” Canaan said.
The situation opened the door for Okobo to play more. Playing 30 minutes and 33 seconds, Okobo shot 5 of 9 from the field and connected on half his six three-point shots.
“I’m glad he was able to get some of those minutes so he can get those nerves out,” Canaan said. “I’m happy for him.”
Beyond the shooting, Okobo had eight assists to just three turnovers. He had trouble containing Russell Westbrook, but competed, and held his own at times, too.
Westbrook still got his – 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists – but also had six turnovers and Okobo had a say in some of those.
“I guarantee you (Okobo) didn’t sleep for three days,” Suns first-year head coach Igor Kokoskov said. “He watched Westbrook for the last five years on French TV. Now he’s got a chance to play against him. He played with confidence, he played with a presence. He played like, ‘I belong here.’”
Okobo comes off as reserved and laid back, but he showed some fire in getting after Ayton.
“I was up there for too long and he was like, ‘Roll DA! Roll!’” Ayton said. “So I was like, ‘OK, I got you brother. I got you.’”
Canaan has experience on Okobo, but Okobo can knock down shots and is able to run the offense. Kokoskov talked about the rookie calling a coverage on his own.
“He’s understanding most of the concepts and how the game goes,” Kokoskov said.
Point guard is clearly Phoenix’s weak spot. It’s why Booker is playing the position
An original owner passes away
One of the Suns’ original owners, Richard L. Bloch, died Saturday. He was 89. Bloch, an investment broker, helped form the primary ownership group which paid a $2 million entry fee for an NBA expansion franchise awarded to Phoenix on Jan. 22, 1968. Bloch, who also served as the Suns’ president, sold his ownership stake in the Suns in 1987 to a group led by then General Manager and Vice President Jerry Colangelo.
despite being a shooting guard. It’s why the Suns tried to acquire a proven one in the offseason.
And it’s why they signed 18-year veteran Jamal Crawford despite knowing he’s more of a scoring point guard than one who runs an offense, but Okobo may be the answer at that position
He handles the ball pretty good and can initiate offense. He’ll make mistakes, but what Phoenix needs is a player who can run the offense well enough so that Booker doesn’t have to do it all the time.
With that professional experience overseas, Okobo may be more seasoned than realized and could be that guy at the point for Phoenix moving forward.
Did more: After playing just 21 minutes in Saturday’s loss at Memphis, Ryan Anderson said he didn’t want to be a “negative influence,” but thought he could do more.
Less than 24 hours later, Anderson did more.
The veteran forward scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds in nearly 31 minutes of play.
“I had a few more opportunities,” Anderson said. “I want to be aggressive every night.”
Anderson struggled to talk about his play as he reflected more on the loss, but Kokoskov even said after the game he must get more shots for Anderson.
“I played a little bit longer stretches,” he said. “I was able to be a little bit more productive because I was able to play out there a little bit longer. Kind of feel it out. I’m a rhythm player.”
Battled: Anderson was happy that Phoenix “fought” throughout the game as the Thunder led by as many as 26 points before winning by just seven.
Billy Donovan wasn’t thrilled with how Oklahoma City finished.
“I didn’t think it was a very good fourth quarter for us overall, offensively or defensively,” he said.
NBA games are tricky. Teams can have a comfortable lead, rest the starters, but then the other team is still competing while the subs were coasting. So the game wasn’t as close as the final score says, but this is another positive for Phoenix moving forward.
“There’s a lot of positives when it comes to the effort,” Kokoskov said. “We kept competing.” Nature of the business: The Cleveland Cavaliers fired Tyronn Lue after a 0-6 start to this season despite leading the Cavaliers to three straight NBA finals and winning an NBA title in 2016.
Well, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had much to do with winning that championship, but Lue was let go after being part of that three-year run of success.
Kokoskov knows Lue, spent time with him in the NBA Summer League, but said the firing “is the nature of this business” when asked about the news before Sunday’s game.
“Emotions are not involved in this. It’s strictly business. If you win, you’re in and if you lose, there’s nothing in between. He understands. He’s a pro.”
Kokoskov called Lue “a very good coach,” reiterated his earlier point, but he's started 1-5 after Sunday night’s loss. Last season, Phoenix fired Earl Watson after an 0-3 start.
Slow starts can lead to early exits.