re: Sons v Suns - Game Thread

We'll see if they keep it up, but a few things stand out about last night.

Despite missing all of their PGs, Phoenix played good defense against the Pels, but

1) The Pels played good, physical defense right back
2) Were aggressive and attacking on offense all night
3) CJ helped beat Phoenix's good defense time after time with his amazing shot making.

That's a formula for winning.

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BI and CJ both sounding like they are developing a nice friendship, and really leaned into the role of being ambassadors of New Orleans there.

Also interesting to hear Jen Hale, who has basically been here forever, call this team the best locker room and group of high character guys she’s seen in ten years.

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This is huge for me. Tt's been a constant narrative that folks don't want to play here. There are constant injuries with guys who probably could and should be playing. Eric Gordon...we all know that story - and now Zion is playing that card.

But Green is making a difference. The guys we have here want to be here and they want to play together and they are starting to play through hangnails and and elbow bruises, and if and when Zion comes back HE will have to assimilate not the other way around cause we are building a good culture.

Naji has played like dogshit all season and has 1 relatively decent game and you’re going call out.

He’s a replacement level player at best. I’m glad he has an ok game though. Good for you.

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Naji has played like dogshit all season and has 1 relatively decent game and you’re going call out.

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BS. He played horribly at the beginning of the season and was deservedly benched. But he's played well since getting regular minutes again earlier this month. The four games prior to last night were all good for him.

And as I said in the other thread, Naji was genuinely good last season. He's a true plus defender for us. Yes, summer league messed him up and got him to thinking, at the beginning of this season that he could play hero ball. Yes, he had a horrible shooting slump. That's why he deserved to be benched. But there was never a reason to believe that the solid play we saw from Naji last season was a mirage.

You were horribly wrong to say that Naji had no future with the team or in the league, you were a jerk about it, and you should take the L for it and be happy that we have him on the team.

I’ve liked Naji’s play of late, but sort of like I said with Jose, maybe let’s see what he looks like in a few weeks when teams and scouting reports put a work up on him again?

Since Jose’s nice coming out party he’s 25%
From the field, no made threes, 2.5assists to 2 turnovers, and teams like last night seem to be aware he likes to catch you off guard and come pick your pocket and so they take care of the ball better. He’s also been successfully targeted because of his size a couple games in a row now

Not saying this downside Jose is the real Jose, but I just am hesitant to crown unproven guys as proven before they’ve really “proved” it so to speak.

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I just am hesitant to crown unproven guys as proven before they’ve really “proved” it so to speak.

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But that's the thing: Naji played in 32 games last season and started 10 of them -- and he was good. He was good enough that the general opinion of this board in the offseason was that we did not need to re-sign Josh Hart because Naji was a quality replacement for a lot less money.

yes, Naji was horrible with our 2nd unit at the beginning of this season, but that unit was disfunctional in every way, with Sato playing out of position at SG, Kira, and Temple -- it was why we started off 1-12.

I do not understand why anyone would judge Naji primarily based off of his time playing with that unit, rather than the larger body of work that he put in last season.

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Naji played in 32 games last season and started 10 of them -- and he was good.

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Remember NAW also started 10 games and people were ready to crown him the next great shooting guard on the Pels and that he makes Lonzo expendable…a year later he is being tossed around as filler and collecting DNP’s with Utah.

Now, gun to my head I think the Naji we see right now is closer to the real Naji going forward, maybe just with a bit less of the “I’m free and bursting with overcharged energy” play, so a solid switchable defender that can get streaky from three but will make some dumb choices a game as well. I’m just hesitant to crown guys unless they are showing some elite skills without any real liabilities. That’s how I’d describe Herbs early days, or guys like Simons or Strus, that’s not quite how I see Naji. Naji is more like a Kenny Hustle to me.

So better than replacement level but not someone you’d expect to see higher than 9- 10 on most playoff caliber rotations. Which is fine, you need those guys in regular seasons. But I’m also not willing to crown him that yet either, but I do like what I’ve seen

Sure it was mentioned, but I wonder how much WG familiarity with the suns was a factor in the W