On Monday night, the Phoenix Suns started the new year off right, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 109-88 for their fourth straight win. The win moved the franchise to 3-0, its longest home streak of the season at six games.
It was important for the Suns to not only make the most of their extended time in the Valley, as they have so far, but also get a win against a team that has beaten them this season. Former Suns overall pick Deandre Ayton may not have been a good fit, but neither was Kevin Durant. It was even better to see Bradley Beal, who suffered a sprained foot, show good form after contributing big in Game 2. His 21 points led the team, but he also had six assists, and his passing ability was one of the keys to this group reaching its full potential. The Suns also received an unexpected boost from the bench in the form of Bol Bol, with the Sudanese player not available anytime soon. Ball has really struggled for playing time so far this season, with better options popping up daily via the trade or acquisition market, and Ball has been consistently mentioned as a player that should be cut. Despite this, his teammates seem to love him and are patiently waiting for his opportunity.In the eventual win against the Trail Blazers, Ball had 11 points and 9 rebounds. That’s more than table eaters like Jusuf Nurkic (7) and Chimezi Metu (5). In fact, Ball’s contributions in that area led the team. Even though he’s still completely negative defensively, it was great to see him make the difference in one game. Ball has played just eight games this season, averaging less than three minutes on the field. But that performance was much more in line with what the Suns expected from offseason signings to fill out their bench and what we saw from Ball with the Orlando Magic last season. He can drive the ball up the court and is a good finisher at the basket. His shooting ability is also underrated, and with him being so tall, he can outrun anyone in the league. Things were not looking good for Ball, who picked up five fouls in 20 minutes and missed on both ends. But his colleagues were happy for him. Nurkich said:Nurkic wasn’t the only one who had nice things to say about Ball. Beal, who was part of the bench unit and helped his team win 35-18 in the second quarter, was Beal himself, enjoying Ball’s presence. good. “I think he’s great. I think the fans love him because he’s a great talent. They want to see him on the field more and believe me, we think he’s a great talent and we think it’s a possibility. Do it.”- Bradley BealBill isn’t done with it yet. He spoke passionately about how Ball will succeed and what he would do if given the opportunity. He and Durant will likely face the LA Clippers in their next game.”It’s just an opportunity to buy time. “He’s shown what he’s capable of, now he’s got to improve … turn pro,” he said.It took 33 games, but in one game, Ball finally accomplished what the Suns hoped he would do when they signed him this offseason. It’s a nightmare game for the opposing team to have to play for several minutes. But once the playoffs begin, he’s unlikely to see the field, and that’s okay. A few more games like this and it would make sense for the Suns to sign him.
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