Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

Latest Episodes:

LOCKED ON SUNS 8/21/19: The latest Devin Booker debate blows up plus how can Kelly Oubre Jr. improve in 2019-20? Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

We laugh at the latest summer internet debate about Devin Booker before diving into the development of Kelly Oubre Jr.

Oubre was a revelation with the Suns during the second half of last season, turning up the volume on his energy, functional athleticism and shot creation. Can he keep it up during the 2019-20 campaign in a potentially smaller role?

Oubre is likely the favorite to start over Mikal Bridges based on his experience and payday, but can he improve his decision-making on both ends of the floor enough to earn that starting spot?

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/19/19: How can Deandre Ayton improve in 2019-20? Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

All week, we will be breaking down the individual developments for the rest of the Suns’ core group after doing the same for Devin Booker earlier in the offseason. Today we begin with Deandre Ayton, who has a lot riding on his development in year two.

We each break down three big areas that Ayton needs to improve in, from his aggressive mentality to his help defense.

Ayton showed a lot as a rookie but has plenty of room to grow. What is realistic to expect in 2019-20?

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/16/19: Cole Zwicker of The Stepien joins to give his thoughts on the Suns’ offseason and preview the 2020 PG class Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

We are joined by Cole Zwicker of The Stepien, who correctly predicted the Ricky Rubio signing just after the draft, to evaluate the Suns’ offseason.

Cole reacts to the Suns’ focus on shooting and experience as they filled out their roster, discusses the decision between starting Mikal Bridges or Kelly Oubre Jr., and imagines how the Suns will organize their defense around so many different types of players.

How does Devin Booker continue to develop as a playmaker with Rubio around? Where are the minutes for the rookies? Who should be the backup power forward? So many questions.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/15/19: The Kyler/Book hype machine and Suns All-Decade teams with Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

We are joined by Arizona Sports’ Kevin Zimmerman to discuss the two most polarizing young stars in the state: Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Suns combo guard Devin Booker. Incredibly enough, Booker is only 10 months older than Murray heading into his fifth season.

Kevin breaks down what he’s seen from the Cardinals rookie who is drawing rave reviews from training camp. KylerMania is already bubbling up in Arizona, so how high can his star level truly rise?

Also, if you had to pick one player over the next decade, who would you rather have? Murray or Booker? Not everyone agreed on this topic.

Stick around as we unveil our Suns All-Decade teams, which goes to show how disappointing the on-court product has been over the last 10 years since the 7SOL era. Marcin Gortat and T.J. Warren anybody?

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/12/19: Takeaways from the 2019-20 schedule plus our way too early predictions for the Suns’ record Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

We react to the Suns’ 2019-20 schedule, which includes two six-game road trips and lots of tough games early on against Western Conference rivals.

Then, we go game by game to give you our way-too-early predictions for the Suns’ record this upcoming season.

Can the Suns beat any East teams on the road? Will their best players be sitting again in the spring to tank? We break it all down.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/9/19: Early expectations for the Suns' rookies in 2019-20 Aug 09, 2019

Show notes

We break down a few guys who won’t get much attention once we start previewing the season — the rookies. And that lack of attention is a good thing! It’s all part of the plan. If all goes well, we won’t be hearing much from Cam Johnson, Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque, so we dove in on each of them today.

Johnson is in line to be a candidate for backup wing minutes alongside Mikal Bridges until the Suns find a permanent second unit. Can he defend enough to stay on the court?

Jerome brings many of the same questions. How will he hold up physically against NBA athletes, and are there any minutes for him while Tyler Johnson is still around?

Lecque is the first test case for how James Jones will use the G League. What does a successful season look like for the Brewster Academy product?

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/7/19: Where do the Suns fall within our Western Conference tiers? Aug 07, 2019

Show notes

We take a bird’s eye view of the West after a busy summer on this side of the Mississippi, ranking the conference into tiers and imagining where the Suns will fall.

Before that, we talk about what the Suns will have to do to break into the top part of the conference and be major factors in the playoff race. It’s unlikely with so much talent on other teams, but it all comes back to Phoenix’s two young stars.

We close the show by talking about a few teams the Suns could realistically leapfrog in the standings this year to get out of the cellar.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/5/19: Statistical over/unders for six key Suns players this year Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Today, we bring a great solo show to you all after a great guest series to finish out the month of July. After getting a feel for various players through the thoughts of our guests, we reconvene to hit on over/unders for the top six players on the Suns’ roster this upcoming season.

From Kelly Oubre Jr.’s three-point shooting to Deandre Ayton’s rim protection to Ricky Rubio’s assist totals, we fly through the numbers to predict how the system and player roles for the Suns this year will play out.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 8/2/19: Vegas over/unders plus Booker vs. his peers Aug 03, 2019

Show notes

We react to the initial over/under of 27 for the 2019-20 Suns, set by Caesar’s Sports Book last week. How does the negative national perception around the franchise affect this number? What has to happen for the Suns to surpass it?

We close the show by debating Booker’s place among other 2-guards in the NBA. Many argue he is worse than Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell in part because those players have been on winning teams. Is that legit? We explain why this year will tell us a lot about Booker.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 7/31/19: Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic joins to talk Rubio’s growth, the Suns-Wolves draft night trade, and Saric Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

We are joined by The Athletic Minnesota’s Jon Krawczynski to break down all the connections between the Timberwolves and Suns this offseason.

Jon breaks down why he believes the new Minnesota front office wanted to move up in this year’s draft and why the Jarrett Culver deal surprised him. We also talk about the franchise’s tenuous relationship with Dario Saric and why he was ultimately dealt to Phoenix.

Stick around for a great breakdown by Jon of how Ricky Rubio has grown on and off the court since coming into the league and why he believes the Suns are a good fit for the veteran point guard.

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