Suns projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season

Phoenix Suns starting center: Deandre Ayton

A summer of trade speculation ultimately yielded no movement for Deandre Ayton, the former No. 1 pick who butted heads with Monty Williams and frequently disappointed in the playoffs. Ayton was particularly bad in the Suns’ second-round loss to Denver, often showing very little effort on the defensive end while getting obliterated by Nikola Jokic head-to-head (to be fair, Jokic obliterates even the best head-to-head).

The talent of Ayton is undeniable. He looks like a Greek god chiseled from stone. He can punish smaller defenders with his strength or evade slower bigs with nimble footwork around the rim. He’s comfortable facing up from the elbow and his mid-range jumper has made progress. He looks like a bankable defensive anchor when he wants to; it’s more a matter of buy-in than ability.

For Phoenix, the hope is that new head coach Frank Vogel can tap into Ayton’s unique talent while appealing to his sensibilities as a competitor. All of Vogel’s best defenses have been built around elite rim protectors a la Anthony Davis or Roy Hibbert. Right now Ayton doesn’t really fit into that category of defender, but he’s athletically capable of achieving another level. If Vogel can get him to put in the effort, both mentally and physically, the results could be special.

It’s hard to imagine a better offensive situation for Ayton on paper. He probably wants more touches than he’s going to receive as option No. 4 in the Suns’ star-skewed offense, but Ayton is going to feast on spoon-fed looks at the rim while defenses sell out to stop Beal, Booker, and Durant.

 Primary backup center: Drew Eubanks

The Suns were initially expected to keep Jock Landale after his strong postseason behind Ayton, but the opportunity to acquire Drew Eubanks on a minimum contract arose and Landale was allowed to sign a lucrative deal in Houston. Ultimately, the Suns might’ve gotten the better player — Eubanks was a real discovery for the Blazers last season.

For a team that spent most of the season trying to compete for a playoff spot, Eubanks was often the most reliable option at center. He came off the bench behind the tenured Jusuf Nurkic, but he was a regular fixture in closing lineups as Portland tapped into his youth and athleticism.

Eubanks is slightly undersized at 6-foot-9 but he’s an emphatic rim runner and springy shot-blocker who can hold it together on both ends when Ayton sits. In fact, there’s a non-zero chance Eubanks is closing a lot of games next postseason like Landale before him. He’s going to bring competitive fire on defense.

Other players who could receive minutes at center: Chimezie Metu, Kevin Durant, Bol Bol