There isn’t a column in the NBA standings for moral victories, but after what could best be described as a rough week for the Suns with the loss of Eric Bledsoe for the season and changes on the coaching staff, the performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night was a bright spot. The Suns hung tough against the beast of the Eastern Conference despite the loss of one of their stars. Coach Hornacek talked about the game on the Doug and Wolf show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Tuesday morning.
“Without Eric in the game, it was a little different,” Hornacek told Arizona Sports. “We had gone over a few plays that might be good for the guys. I thought they really came out and executed it. Defensively we gave up a lot of three-point attempts that we need to get better at. Some of it was closing out that we need to get better at.”
The offense was good but the strong performance of the young talent against the Cavs stood out most to Hornacek.
“When you’re out there and you have Alex Len, Devin Booker and T.J. Warren against the Cleveland Cavaliers with three all-stars, a couple of hall of famers probably, you want to see how they compete,” Coach said. “All three of them did very well. Alex, he’s not afraid to bang against anybody. He’ll get rebounds, block some shots and he’s learning every day. T.J. scored the ball very well. Devin made his shots when he had the opportunities and made some nice passes on the plays. I was happy with the way those three young guys played.”
While Monday’s game was a step in the right direction, there are more adjustments the team will have to make moving forward with the loss of Bledsoe.
“We’re probably more traditional now with Brandon Knight at the point guard. He did a great job last night calling out the plays and getting our guys into some sets,” Hornacek said. “He’s going to take over that role. He’ll probably be backed up by Ronnie Price and Bryce Cotton, who we’ve had on the team for about a month, will probably get a chance to play. At the two spot you’ve got a more traditional bigger guy, probably Devin Booker, then Sonny Weems and Archie Goodwin will fill in behind that.”