How the hiatus affects all 30 NBA teams

Phoenix Suns: Opening up a chance to build more chemistry

Kelly Oubre Jr. tearing his meniscus was a painful blow, not only to the Phoenix Suns‘ starting lineup and Devin Booker being able to lead the offensive load instead of carry it entirely, but also to the “Valley Boyz” culture their rebuild is trying to establish.

Depending on how long the hiatus lasts, getting Tsunami Papi back will be a huge boost to helping the Suns close the season off right. This group isn’t going to compete for the 8-seed by any stretch of the imagination, but if there’s still regular season basketball left to be played, it would behoove Phoenix to close it out on a high note, building chemistry and cohesion with a mostly young core that’s playing under yet another new head coach.

Between Booker, Oubre, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Ricky Rubio and Cameron Johnson, the foundational pieces are in place for next year. But if the Suns can get Oubre back, and to a lesser degree, Frank Kaminsky (in order to pad the bench depth), any bit of action before the season ends would be welcome for a team that needs as much time together on the court as possible to challenge for the playoffs next season.