Three Takeaways as Suns Win Season Opener

In case you're keeping score, the Suns have one win, Kevin Durant's Rockets have zero, and Bradley Beal's Clippers also have none.

OK, let's skip past the petty note.

The Suns trailed by as many as 20 points as they struggled to contain LaVine, who had 16 of his points in the second. Although they were active on both ends, the Suns could not buy a basket, making 2-of-17 3-pointers in the first half.

If you were in the building, it felt like the Suns' call for change had no wind to it. Thankfully for fans, that did not stay in the second half.

Devin Booker's season debut was much anticipated following his new $145 million contract extension, which made him the highest-paid player in the league in terms of annual salary. Phoenix opted to keep Booker, who had 31 points on the night, past the "big three" era.

The Suns' guard struggled to find his rhythm but finished with a 10-of-15 clip at the free-throw line and overcame six turnovers on the night.

A major change in the schematic side occurred at halftime when Ott opted to switch and trust his wings against the high-scoring LaVine. He was limited to eight second-half points, and his partner in crime, DeRozan, did not get any easy buckets as he was crowded by Dillon Brooks.

Can the Suns show they have enough fight to win close games? If you put enough stock into last night's performance, then you have to feel good about their chances to not quit in an extremely deep Western Conference.

Mark Williams Shows Suns' Center Position is Formidable

The Suns gave up two first-round picks to trade for Mark Williams, who is one of the more talented young players in the NBA but is struggling to stay healthy. Williams has not appeared in more than 44 games in each of his three seasons.

If Williams is going to earn his money he wants past this season, he must stay on the floor. Thankfully, he appeared healthy and contributed with two huge blocks in the game. He also had a lob finish that got fans off their seats.

In case you wanted to read more on Mark Williams, here was my impression of his Suns debut.

Dillon Brooks, Role Players Make up for Jalen Green Absence

I need to see replays of Dillon Brooks after every Phoenix Suns game this season. Seriously, he was that entertaining.

Gone are the days where fans can whine and be frustrated at Brooks' on-court defense. Now, he's on their side.

The Suns struggled to find an edge or competitve advantage even though they boasted three of the best scorers in recent memory on their roster these past three seasons. Phoenix even tried to start one of them at point guard consistently even though that was never going to be a fit.

Brooks brought the ball up the floor, made key free throws in the final minute, made a key three and even found ways to instigate dialogue against DeRozan, a very good scorer.

Along with Brooks, the Suns saw massive games from Grayson Allen, who had 18 points and made three of his 3-pointers, and seven assists, Royce O'Neale with his 12 points and Collin Gillespie who had seven points off the bench and four assists. Center Nick Richards played five minutes but had eight points.