"I think they'll probably get extended minutes. Alex is going to be out for a week or so, but other than him, Archie and T.J. and we'll get a chance to see Reggie Bullock play a little bit.
With Phoenix facing daunting odds to make the postseason, the Suns are looking at the remaining two weeks of the season as a deeper test run for their younger players.
Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren worked their way into the rotation following February's deadline deals, and each has shown flashes of why Phoenix drafted them in the first round. Now, it appears they will play far more than the mid-teens each has been averaging in minutes played since the All-Star break.
Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby spoke to their strengths and potential in his weekly appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
"The greatest quality Archie has in judgment is he has got tremendous 'want-to'," Babby said. "He really wants to be good. He works very, very hard. He worked here all summer long. I expect he will work here again and work this coming summer. He's going to squeeze every drop out of his talent, and I think he's talented."
Meanwhile Warren has received plenty of buzz for his play of late. The 14th overall pick in last year's draft, the 6-8 forward has impressed with his efficient scoring and unselfish style of play.
"He's just an amazingly efficient scorer," Babby said. "Every game, [he shoots] 6-for-9, 5-for-7, he's just around the basket and it seems to come easily to him. Both of those [draft] picks, along with Alex [Len]...are all doing well and bode well for the future."
Warren's rising relevance in the Suns' short and long-term plans have lit a fire of anticipation for his role moving forward. Babby was quick to point out that roles/minutes are decisions left to Head Coach Jeff Hornacek, but didn't conceal his excitement over the potential Warren has shown in limited minutes.
"I think the big thing for him [to improve] would be consistency, particularly on the defensive end," Babby said. "He hasn't played that much this year. I don't know whether he'll start next year. That'll be Jeff's decision and we'll see what the personnel and the team looks like. But I think he's going to be a significant contributor going forward and we expect a lot out of him."
"One of the things that excited me in the couple of games that he's played with Brandon Knight, they seem to have a nice chemistry," Babby added. "Brandon got us moving the ball very well in that first half against [Oklahoma City] the other day. A lot of those passes were to T.J., who is a master of cutting and moving without the ball. That's one of, I think, our deficiencies. That looked like an exciting combination."