Previewing Suns' Top Training Camp Battles

There has been and will continue to be a lot of talk about who is going to be Phoenix's starting point guard between Devin Booker and Jalen Green, but expect ball-handling duties to be shared with a slight favor toward Booker, who is a much more proven playmaker.

This is really not a big position battle, as both Green and Booker are surefire starters, they just have to figure out the dynamic of playing off each other and the rest of their teammates.

Prediction: Despite a report by Arizona Sport's John Gambadoro, Booker is the leader of the team and the more established player, so he will be more of the primary ball handler, but this can change game to game based on different defenses.

You can read more about why this dynamic between Booker and Green is the Suns' biggest key to success this season by clicking here.

5th Starter

The Suns have a pretty clear cut four of five starters in Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams.

The fifth starter spot will likely be between Ryan Dunn and Royce O'Neale, one of whom will slot in next to Brooks on the wing and create an undersized duo no matter who ends up being the starter.

Phoenix also has a few more players in Nigel Hayes-Davis, Oso Ighodaro and Rasheer Fleming who are more natural fits at the 4, but it seems unlikely that any of these three will begin the year as the fifth starter.

Dunn should have the upper hand in this battle pretty easily heading into his sophomore year after starting 44 games to O'Neale's 22 starts last season, Phoenix's new focus on player development and having a bigger frame than O'Neale.

Prediction: Dunn is the Suns' fifth starter to start the season. We dove deeper into this battle earlier this offseason, which you can read by clicking here.

Backup 4

Hayes-Davis, Fleming and Ighodaro all have good cases to be Phoenix's backup power forward, which is an encouraging sign given the lack of depth at this position last season.

Phoenix clearly liked Hayes-Davis, as he was their only early new free agent signing after an impressive showing overseas the last few seasons that included a Euroleague Finals MVP this past year.

The Suns were also enamored with the chance to draft Fleming, trading up two times to get the top pick in the second round to draft the ultra-athletic, 6-foot-9 Fleming, who has a 7-foot-5 wingspan.

Ighodaro took a big step forward in the summer league as he likely transitions from a 5 to a 4 this season, but is still a bit of a tweener due to his inability to shoot the ball.

Prediction: Phoenix gives all three players opportunities throughout the year, but Hayes-Davis and Fleming begin the season splitting the minutes, as the Suns are clearly high on both players.

Ighodaro would have to show that his playmaking ability outweighs Hayes-Davis' and Fleming's shooting ability to see the floor more, but his playmaking could be a valuable trait the Suns can capitalize on in certain situations.

Backup Center

The Suns significantly bolstered their center position on draft day by trading for Williams and selecting Khaman Maluach No. 10 overall within a few minutes of each other.

This leaves Nick Richards in a weird spot after he finished last season as Phoenix's starting center, but did show that he is not a capable full-time starter in the NBA.

As mentioned about Dunn above, new general manager Brian Gregory stressed the importance of player development in his introductory press conference, so it is likely Maluach wins the backup center battle right away over Richards.

With that said, Maluach just turned 19 and is a really raw prospect, so there could be games where Richards gives them spot minutes when necessary if Maluach is struggling.

Williams also has injury concerns that have plagued him his first three years in the league, so Richards will still have a big role on the team if Williams' injury problems persist, as he did when the two were teammates on the Charlotte Hornets.

Prediction: Maluach is Phoenix's backup center behind Williams, and the Suns will need to let him learn from his mistakes, but have Richards ready if anything goes wrong with Williams or Maluach.

3rd-String Point Guard

Collin Gillespie seems like Phoenix's clear backup point guard after ending the 2024-25 season very strong, but the Suns brought in some competition at this spot with Jordan Goodwin and Jared Butler.

The battle between Goodwin and Butler for the third-string role will be intense, as the loser will likely be cut.

Butler joined the Suns on a non-guaranteed deal, while Goodwin's contract is also not fully guaranteed until January, so Phoenix is expected to only keep one.

Goodwin, who played 40 games for Phoenix in the 2023-24 season, has a lot more defensive and rebounding upside, which fit the mantra of this season's team, while Butler has more scoring and playmaking ability.

Prediction: Goodwin beats out Butler for this position because the Suns are going to value his defensive intensity, which will be on full display in a meaningful battle during training camp.

Rotation Prediction Heading Into Camp

To sum it all up, here's our rotation prediction heading into camp that's subject to change before the season (battles mentioned above bolded).

Starters (By Position):

1. Devin Booker
2. Jalen Green
3. Dillon Brooks
4. Ryan Dunn
5. Mark Williams

Second Unit (By Position):

1. Collin Gillespie
2. Grayson Allen
3. Royce O'Neale
4. Nigel Hayes-Davis/Rasheer Fleming
5. Khaman Maluach

Third Unit (By Position)

1. Jordan Goodwin
2. Koby Brea (2W)
3. Isaiah Livers (2W)
4. Oso Ighodaro
5. Nick Richards

* CJ Huntley is another two-way player, but will likely not be in the rotation unless Phoenix gets really banged up at the center position.

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