Jeremy Lin wants to give it one last try in the NBA. After winning an NBA title as a seldom-used backup with the Toronto Raptors, Jeremy Lin crossed the Pacific and starred in China last year. While Lin could stay in Beijing and continue to dominate, he has his eyes on the NBA as he
Phoenix Suns
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. So many players have changed their reputations in the NBA Bubble, taking leaps and making statements about ceilings raised. And perhaps no trio has forced more perceptual change
SPRINGFIELD, MA – SEPTEMBER 07: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 enshrinee Steve Nash (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Did Jamie Newman hurt his NFL Draft stock by opting out at Georgia? by Mike Luciano The Brooklyn Nets have hired Steve Nash as their next head coach. The Brooklyn Nets spent most
The Suns sent positive vibes Brooklyn’s way with a photo of Devin Booker in a Nets jersey. The only team that might have been as dominant as the Phoenix Suns during this NBA restart is the Suns’ social media team. This usually impressive group has always been great, but since Phoenix started giving people reasons
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s one-game suspension could have a big impact on the Western Conference playoff picture. After being ejected for a headbutt on Moritz Wagner Tuesday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially been suspended by the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks‘ final seeding game on Thursday. This one-game suspension may seem inconsequential for a Bucks squad that’s
The Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns won to keep playoff hopes alive. The only NBA playoff spot that’s not currently locked in is the 8-seed in the Western Conference. On Thursday, four key matchups will ultimately decide which two teams will be competing in the league’s play-in game(s), which will pit the current 8-seed against
The Portland Trail Blazers secured their play-in spot with Thursday’s win. The Portland Trail Blazers had a simple task entering their final seeding game on Thursday night: Win or go home. After the Memphis Grizzlies secured a play-in spot with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the day, followed quickly by the Phoenix
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 03: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks on in the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 03, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
There is hope on the horizon: as more and more teams continue to re-open their facilities, the NBA would seem that much closer to a return. That said, there is still a very long road ahead. And, in the meantime, Basketball Insiders has done our best to help mitigate the monotony of quarantine. Recently, we’ve
Welcome back to Basketball Insiders’ “Looking Back” series! We’ve already gone over how the first and second overall pick have fared since 2009, so naturally, the next pick up is the third overall pick. Like with the first two, we categorize these players by if they are hits, misses, in the middle, or role players.
Last week, Basketball Insiders dove into NBA nostalgia by looking back at previous NBA drafts of recent memory, starting from 2014 all the way to 2017. Over the next two weeks, we’re going to be changing the formula up a tad. Instead of looking at entire drafts, we’re looking at the individual picks – starting
The NBA, as are most major sports, is a star-driven. LeBron James, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, etc. carry the day in regards to popularity, production and success, whether on the court or otherwise. That said, and despite what some may say to the contrary, no one man can take home the Larry O’Brien trophy alone.
To grasp how one can be underrated, the definition for rated must be first observed, obviously. Taking a page out of the apathetic/lazy/Jeff Winger best man speech how-to guide and textbook, Webster’s Dictionary states that rate (and its many tenses) is to “assign a standard or value to (something) according to a particular scale.” In
To say the events of the past three or so weeks were irregular would be the understatement of the year. And during an already tragic year for the NBA, the league made the tough choice to postpone the season, prior to government intervention, on Wednesday, Mar. 11. In the two-plus weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak
Always one of the most entertaining times of the year, the trade deadline is an annual must-see event for basketball fans. But in addition to the excitement it brings, it can also introduce a headwind of confusion. Case in point: The three-team trade between the New York Knicks, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. After
Cameron Johnson was one of the more surprising reaches in the 2019 NBA Draft, but is that risk already paying off for the Phoenix Suns? Make no mistake about it: When the Phoenix Suns traded down from the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to add Dario Saric and eventually draft Cameron Johnson
The NBA All-Stars rosters didn’t have many misses but Russell Westbrook taking a spot from Devin Booker was a huge one. What made Russell Westbrook the 2017 NBA MVP is the same thing that will make him an All-Star in 2020. His reputation for the spectacular. An attraction to hard-nosedness on the part of fans,
Before we begin, something, or someone, needs to be addressed- the death of one Kobe “Bean” Bryant. The NBA community lost one of its biggest icons over the weekend when Bryant lost his life in a helicopter crash. This news is very tragic seeing how popular Kobe was both during and after his time in
Winning in the NBA is not easy by any means — but a victory on the road is almost more valuable than one at home. Maybe not as far as standings are concerned, but road wins are harder to come by in the league. Being able to get victories away from home can shoot your
The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2020. While a number of NBA franchises are still vying for a playoff spot, plenty of teams have already begun to shift gears, putting themselves in the best position for the draft. But there are a number of complications that hinder the approach for cellar-dwellers
With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, teams are zeroing in on potential deals. Some teams hope to improve for a playoff push, while others are looking to capitalize on the urgency of contenders. Whichever side of that equation your favorite team finds itself on, they are surely weighing all of their options.
Mikal Bridges’ numbers are underwhelming at first glance, but he’s the linchpin behind the Phoenix Suns’ recent success and their long-term goals. In most cases, a 3-and-D wing averaging fewer than seven points a night and shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range would be considered wholly underwhelming, and that’s before adding the designation of
Yes, the Phoenix Suns are experimenting with Deandre Ayton and Aron Baynes in the starting lineup. Is Ayton at the 4 viable or even survivable? In the 3-point heavy, pace-and-space NBA, traditional positions of old are fading into legend. Switchability is king, seven-footers who can do more than just post up are labeled as mythical
The Kings, Suns and Timberwolves are all theoretically in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Who needs that spot the most? So it looks like the NBA draft lottery works! Three teams who miserably tripped over themselves en route to top-10 picks repeatedly over the course of a decade are right in the playoff
The Phoenix Suns are still well ahead of where many expected, but could be even better if not for injuries, suspension and brutal growing pains. How this young team handles adversity will define what comes next. The Phoenix Suns are better than their 11-15 record. They just might have a tough time proving it as
A point guard with the rap sheet that Chris Paul has does not deserve an anticlimactic ending. Now that he’s being paid almost $40 million in his mid-30’s to lead an average team in a Western Conference that won’t accept anything less than elite, it sure seems like his career is headed that way. It’s
The Phoenix Suns were widely criticized for signing Ricky Rubio over the summer, but he’s already paying dividends for one the NBA’s biggest pleasant surprises. When the Phoenix Suns gave Ricky Rubio a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency this summer, pundits put the “critical” in “hypocritical” with their evaluations. Although the Suns had
With each passing day, it becomes more and more apparent how much pressure Deandre Ayton faces once he’s finally able to return for the Phoenix Suns. For a guy who hasn’t played since the team’s season opener, Deandre Ayton remains the hot topic of conversation among the Phoenix Suns fanbase. That’s typical for any No.
NBA Draft night seems sure to be active on the trade front, and the Indiana Pacers have gotten things started by acquiring T.J. Warren. On Thursday, separate reports suggested the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers were interested in Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers and agreed to a deal
The NBA season is still very young, but some disappointing starts are just that – disappointing. Meaning that they can exist on their own without knowing the end result. Certain players and teams around the league surprised us with their unexpectedly strong play, and others have left us scratching our heads and wondering what’s went