Resetting the Suns bench was the right move.

We are now past the trade deadline. Whew. Always a hectic day, particularly when you’re in the midst of teams hunting for a buyer. It’s time to take a deep breath and consider what transpired and how it will influence the Phoenix Suns going ahead.
Despite having few available assets, Suns general manager James Jones was able to pull some strings and enhance the squad. Yes, improve.

Yes, I understand. Some of you have emotional ties to the fringe men. You drew a line in the sand this summer and said, “Yuta Watanabe is MY guy!” He’s what will propel our squad to the top!” I got it. Let go, man. He was here for six months and played 29 games.
There was a lot of excitement this past July when free agency started. The Suns, who had just acquired Bradley Beal to play with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, didn’t have many options. The bulk of the purchases that they made were out of necessity. But the guys that they brought in were youthful, athletic, “prove it” sort of athletes.
The trouble is, given their chance this season, they didn’t prove it.
This season, the Suns’ bench has performed poorly. There has been little consistency from their second-team squad, which puts further load on the stars. Superstars get paid a lot of money to perform, yet they need to relax. Alternatively, they will break down. It would be ideal if you incorporated some structure and confidence into your substitute patterns.
What about Phoenix’s bench this season?
• Last place with 27.4 points, 46.2 FG% (15th), and 29.7 3PT%.
• Recorded 15.1 rebounds (15th place).
• 5.4 Assists (last).
• -42 plus/minus (22nd)
That is why, despite our high expectations for Yuta Watanabe, Jordan Goodwin, Keita Bates-Diop, and Chimezie Metu this offseason, the Suns traded them for Royce O’Neale from the Brooklyn Nets and David Roddy from the Memphis Grizzlies.
It is not just the responsibility of those young athletes. It was a difficult predicament to be in.
Surrounded by brilliance and a potential Hall of Famer, you may become hesitant and passive. Rather than playing to the best of their ability, it seemed like some of them were attempting to avoid making mistakes. They were more concerned with avoiding making the incorrect choice than with making the right one. They were deferring on offense, which is never a healthy mental position for a guy.
So the Suns traded those who shied away from the situation for Royce O’Neale (and David Roddy), who should have none of those difficulties. RO is like Eric Gordon. Confident. Established. A track record of success. Okay, moderate success. When he’s in the game, he’ll hustle, take risks, and shoot the ball. He will not play as tentatively as the previous Suns.
It was the appropriate decision to move on from the missteps of the summer because the Suns don’t have time to sit around and wait for them to gain confidence. They’re in a dogfight in the Western Conference, and you need well-established and confident guys to go in and fill the job well, play alongside the stars confidently, and execute.
Royce O’Neale will enable the Suns to do so from both ends of the court. David Roddy? We will have to see.
The Suns still have two available roster places, so the buyout market will be a fascinating topic over the next several weeks. Players that join the club before March 1 are eligible for the playoffs roster, thus one deadline closes and another starts.

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