The Whiteboard: Depth might finally be a strength for the Suns

The Phoenix Suns' gamble on a Big Three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal didn't work for a number of reasons last season, but a lack of depth was the biggest. Durant was the only one of the three to play more than 70 games and they played just 862 minutes together all season. The Suns were plus-7.2 per 100 possessions in those minutes but just plus-2.0 in all other minutes and basically break even when any of that trio was on the court without the other two.

In a loaded Western Conference those performance splits weren't nearly enough to get the Suns into the upper echelon and they just didn't have the pieces to build other lineups that were in any way threatening.

Since the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline, the Suns have traded away Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and Landry Shamet to acquire Durant and Beal. They trade to rebuild their depth heading into last season, sending out Deandre Ayton to bring back Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen. Then a midseason trade shifted more end-of-the-bench depth to bring back Royce O'Neale. Those were steps in the right direction but the Suns might have really gotten the job done this offseason.

They came out of the NBA Draft with two second-round picks — Ryan Dunn and Oso OIghodaro — both of whom look like steals. They also brought back O'Neale, Damion Lee and Josh Okogie, and added Mason Plumlee, Tyus Jones and Monte Morris.

The Phoenix Suns may finally have the depth they need

A lot is still riding on Nurkic and Plumlee's ability to hold up in the middle but the latter is a far more capable and reliable back-up big than anyone else they had on the roster last season. And in a pinch, they have Bol Bol and Frank Kaminsky as stop gaps, with the potential to keep looking for additional upgrades as the season goes along.

And then there is Ighodaro who is averaging 8.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes across four preseason games. The 7-foot rookie from Marquette is never going to be an elite scorer or defensive anchor but he's poised, has size, plays with plenty of energy and aggression. He's also a fantastic passer, giving him one reliable skill which could really help him carve out a bench role with all the rest of the shooters on this roster.

Booker played as the defacto point guard last season and will still fill that role plenty for the Suns this season, but it's hard to overstate how much of a difference Morris and Jones can make as point guard contributors. Neither is an elite defender and both are undersized, but they're pesky and compete at that end of the floor which can save some wear-and-tear on Booker. They are both very solid 3-point shooters — 39.1 percent for Morris for his career, 36.7 percent for Jones. And, most importantly, they can handle the ball and run offense without making mistakes. Both players rank in the top-10 all-time for lowest turnover percentage among players with an assist percentage above 20.

Lastly, it's worth calling out Ryan Dunn, who the Suns traded back to nab with the No. 28 pick. He was billed as one of the best perimeter defenders in the draft but an almost complete zero on offense. Dunn was a solid finisher but couldn't create anything for himself off the dribble and made just 12-of-51 (23.5 percent) 3-pointers in two seasons at Virginia. But he's hit 12-of-27 so far in four preseason games , shooting lights out from the corners and even looking completely comfortable pulling up off the dribble.

Dunn has played about 22 minutes per game in the preseason, averaging 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes. His value still comes primarily at the defensive end of the floor where he can be a disruptive rotation piece right from the beginning of the season. But if he can also move the ball and knock down open shots, it makes it that much easier for the Suns to find minutes and developmental opportunities for him.

In the end, the Suns will still only go as far as Durant, Booker, Beal and their collective health allow. But they're far more equipped to survive extended absences in the regular season and their significantly improved depth makes them a lot more dangerous when everyone is available.

Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like The Whiteboard, share it with an enemy

NBA news roundup:

• Lonzo Ball is officially back. He hasn't played since Jan. 14, 2022, dealing with ongoing knee injuies and pain but he's planning to return to the court Oct. 16 against the Timberwolves. If he can give the Bulls anything this season — as a contributor or as a trade asset — it could give them a huge boost.

• Joel Embiid is waiving the white flag on the regular season. He's been open about no longer being interested in chasing regular season accolades and changing his fitness approach to make sure he's ready for the offseason. Now, Embiid is saying he might never play back-to-backs again. In a completely unsurprising addendum, he's also done for the preseason.

How do the Thunder keep doing this?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a reputation for drafting well and it's incredibly earned. I'm not talking about nailing the Chet Holmgren pick, that one was obvious. But they landed Jalen Williams at No. 12 and he's turned into an essentialy part of their championship core with Holgrem and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They took Aaron Wiggins with the No. 55 pick in 2021 and he appeared in 78 games for them last season, playing solid defense and making an eye-popping 49.2 percent of his 3s.

They signed Lu Dort as an undrafted free agent, found Jaylin Williams in the second round in 2022 and turned him into a reliable third fourth big man option off the bench, and traded to get Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick in 2023 and watched him play in every single game as a rookie, averaging over 20 minutes per game, providing elite point-of-attack defense and hitting 41.9 percent of his 3s.

And they may have done it again.

They came out of the 2024 NBA Draft with Dillon Jones at the No. 26 pick and Ajay Mitchell at No. 38. Both are the kind of versatile, multi-skilled two-way contributors the Thunder love and they're showing out in the preseason. Jones is averaging 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and 57.6 percent from the field. Mitchell hasn't been making his 3s yet, but he's averaging 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 52.2 percent from the field.

Neither is likely to play much this season, given how much depth the Thunder already have in front of them. But both of them certainly seem like they could, and would likely be playing meaningful minutes on a dozen or more other teams if the draft had gone differently. They'll probably spend time in the G League, put up big numbers, and wait around for an opportunity to present itself for the Thunder and their embarrassment of roster riches.