Phoenix Suns v Denver Nuggets
The Suns had an open practice at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena on Saturday, and the fans showed up in droves to witness the stars of the team. After that, the team had a scheduled day off and then shifted all attention to the start of the regular season.
That begins with a double-header of nationally televised games against both teams in Los Angeles, although there is reason to believe that the Suns can hit the ground running here. The Clippers are reeling from news that Kawhi Leonard won’t be available, while the following matchup against the Lakers always produces fireworks and could go either way.
We now know that Frank Kaminsky won’t be taking part in these games.
That’s because the organization took the step after the open session to waive him, although they do still have an open roster spot to use as the season develops and other guys become available. This shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise, although Kaminsky was so popular with fans that there was genuine disappointment.
Kaminsky spent last season in Serbia – and although his output was pedestrian – he returned for one more crack at the league as what looked like the perfect role player for the Suns: a 31-year-old completely onboard with playing spot minutes, stretching the floor and being useful in head coach Mike Budenholzer’s offensive sets.
In reality, though, the biggest reason fans ever wanted to see him back with this team was because he connected them to a happier past in which this team was ecstatic. Kaminsky was part of the roster that made it all the way to the 2021 NBA Finals, a teammate that Devin Booker always seemed to be quite pleased to have around him, which simply isn’t enough to continue to keep him around. But even the sheer number of point guards on this roster may have been enough.
It is no secret that the franchise were stung badly by not having an established floor general last time out. But quite frankly, it would seem like the front office – who have to be credited for their excellent drafting recently – overcompensated this offseason, with the way the higher-ups decided to flood all areas of this roster with point guards. So much so that swapping one of them out for Kaminsky might’ve been the play here.
Obviously, Tyus Jones was one of the steals of the summer, and Monte Morris will have his uses, too. But with the Suns already having Booker, Bradley Beal, and Damion Lee to split minutes between – plus Josh Okogie depending on who he is out there with – surely a team only needed at most one more point guard in reserve.
Yet the Suns added both Collin Gillespie and TyTy Washington – and though both are going to spend a lot of time in the G League with the Valley Suns – it is hard to see why both are needed. They have upside for certain, but if injury is going to strike Jones or Morris, won’t that just mean more run for Booker, Beal, and Lee?
The other two would then be promoted for some time, but it is still hard to see why a second is needed over Kaminsky. “Frank The Tank” would have given the Suns different looks at another position on the court, and next to Ryan Dunn or Oso Ighodaro for example his defensive deficiencies would have been well masked.
Maybe Kaminsky will wind up on the Suns’ G League affiliate anyway, which would seem a popular destination among many fans. Then again, he is a career 34.9 percent shooter from deep and at this stage of his career is most certainly a known commodity. Perhaps the Suns feel Gillespie (25) and Washington (22) can provide something different for this group. Tough one to take for Frank.
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