Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

Latest Episodes:

LOCKED ON SUNS 5/17/18: Draft news after Day 1 of the combine May 17, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we take a break from the tireless internet debate over Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic to interpret comments from Ryan McDonough about how the team might attack the 2018 draft.

With picks at 1, 16, 31 and 59, the Suns have an opportunity to move up, take multiple versatile rookies, or stash players overseas. In Chicago this week, the team’s decision-makers are gathering intel that will help them make draft decisions that could define #TheTimeline.

We discuss a great article by azcentral’s Scott Bordow with many quotes from McDonough about the team’s current plan.

We also break down some of the most interesting pieces of news from the combine, including Melvin Frazier’s rise and Trae Young’s fall.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/15/18: Immediate reaction to Suns winning NBA Draft Lottery May 15, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we react live from Talking Stick Resort Arena following the Suns’ historic win on lottery night, securing the No. 1 overall pick. We also recruited Gerald Bourguet of Hoops Habit onto the podcast for his instant analysis.

The Suns will pick first for the first time in franchise history, and after a moment of celebration, debate will surely begin over who the team should take with the top pick. We discuss where the Deandre Ayton vs. Luka Doncic debate stands today.

Finally, we interpret comments from James Jones and Ryan McDonough tonight about the way that locking in the top pick affects their plans for the summer, and outline how we would attack things going forward into the summer.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/14/18: Reactions from Igor Kokoskov’s introductory press conference and lottery preview May 14, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we give our impressions of new Suns coach Igor Kokoskov based on his introductory press conference today at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Attending the event in person, we got to hear a lot from Kokoskov, Ryan McDonough and James Jones about their vision for the team moving forward and how Kokoskov’s ingenuity and work ethic can help build that in Phoenix.

All three Suns decision-makers also referred often to the prospect of significant roster overhaul this summer, toward a scheme that fits Kokoskov’s philosophies more thoroughly and unlocks the young players’ talent.

Finally, some last thoughts before tomorrow’s draft lottery.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/11/18: Jackson Hoy of The Stepien returns May 11, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, Jackson Hoy of The Stepien joins to talk all things draft, and give his insight as to how the Suns should attack things come June.

The show starts with a Luka Doncic update, reacting to his historic triple-double and our impressions of him over the course of the season.

Then we talk about a guy Jackson has become higher on since the season wrapped up, Kevin Huerter of Maryland, who we also briefly discussed on the show earlier this week.

Looking at the middle of the draft, we talk about guys The Stepien has been leading the charge on all season, Zhaire Smith and Jontay Porter. We also discuss other options at No. 16, like Lonnie Walker IV and Robert Williams III.

Finally, we end with a discussion of Deandre Ayton based on what we have seen in the playoffs and what works for the best teams around the league.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/10/18: Debating Mohamed Bamba vs. Wendell Carter Jr. May 10, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we dive into two guys from the second tier of big men in this year’s lottery, Mohamed Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr.

At Texas, Bamba went from one of the most exciting young prospects in the draft from a physical standpoint and as a prototypical versatile Suns piece, to being talked about in the back half of the lottery. He didn’t exert his advantages nearly often enough in college, but has gotten right to work this summer developing his jump shot with Joel Embiid and Embiid’s trainer.

Carter is a high-floor guy who has garnered Al Horford comparisons as an all-around big man, but will probably need to be in a perfect system to be maximized. He balances out Dragan Bender in interesting ways, but may never be a valuable enough offensive player to be a great starter in the NBA.

Who makes more sense for the Suns based on what we know about their needs and priorities?

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/9/18: Talking Doncic/Ayton, the 31st pick, and late draft board risers with the Sporting News’ Chris Stone May 09, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, Chris Stone of The Sporting News joins to discuss all things 2018 NBA Draft as we near next Tuesday’s lottery.

We begin with a breakdown of Chris’ big board, including Deandre Ayton falling to No. 5 behind Marvin Bagley, what he sees in Trae Young and Luka Doncic and the value of play-makers in the modern NBA, and who he believes are the Suns’ best options at the top of the second round.

Then, we make a pit stop talking about Zhaire Smith, whom we all agree is curious and terrifying and magnificent, all at once.

We finish by discussing what Chris would do in Ryan McDonough’s shoes at the draft next month, as well as a discussion of his overall philosophy when judging prospects.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/8/18: NBA Draft Twitter Mailbag May 08, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we answered seven questions regarding the 2018 NBA Draft, including our thoughts on the Suns falling out of the top two, trade possibilities this summer, and Luka Doncic vs. Deandre Ayton.

There was a lot of gloom about the potential for the Suns to end up at No. 3 or No. 4 this year once again, so we went over all the possibilities should that happen.

We also talked about young players from around the league who are candidates to end up in Phoenix based on the Suns’ cap room and trade assets.

Finally, we talked about how our feelings about Doncic have changed (or not) since Igor Kokoskov was hired as the Suns’ new coach.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/7/18: Thoughts on the draft combine and the summer ahead May 07, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we talked about what to expect from what will be one of the most interesting summers in franchise history.

That starts with the draft lottery and combine in Chicago this month. We talked about which players we will be looking at most closely during the combine, including De’Anthony Melton and Kevin Knox.

Then, we took a stock report of the Suns’ rebuild compared with those of NBA teams like the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as MLB teams such as the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. What can the Suns learn, and are they on track to peak as those championship-caliber teams did?

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/4/18: Everything you need to know about Igor Kokoskov May 04, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we discussed the Suns’ historic hire of Igor Kokoskov with Jazz announcer and Locked On NBA host David Locke.

Locke was fortunate enough to create a friendship with the Suns’ new coach over the years in Utah, and is the perfect guy to introduce all of us to Kokoskov. From philosophical musings to intelligent basketball discussion, Kokoskov brings an interesting perspective to the game.

We also talked about what hiring Kokoskov means for Devin Booker and the Suns’ on-court style, as well as the importance of crafting a team identity in Phoenix.

Locke came ready with tons of stories in this one, listen to find out what makes the Suns’ new hire so exciting.

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LOCKED ON SUNS 5/2/18: Igor Kokoskov is the new coach of the Phoenix Suns May 02, 2018

Show notes

On today’s episode, we gave our instant reactions to 46-year-old Utah Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov being announced as the next head coach of the Suns.

Kokoskov will be the first NBA head coach to be born and raised outside North America, and brings a pedigree as an assistant in the league as well as a championship head coach overseas. It seems like there will be an instant culture change in Phoenix.

On the court, Kokoskov is known for pushing the tempo, creating open shots for everyone on the offense, and pushing players to develop into new roles. How does that bode for Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and the rest of #TheTimeline?

Finally, we answered a few mailbag questions on Twitter about how the hire changes things from a personnel perspective in the draft and free agency.

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