With a new roster and new head coach in tow and a new season fast approaching, Suns fans can catch their first action-filled preview at Northern Arizona University on Oct. 5. The team will play in an intersquad scrimmage open to the public, set to tip off at noon.
The game will provide the first live-game look and feel for a vastly revamped Suns team. Nine of the 17 players currently on the roster are new, headlined by recent trade acquisition Eric Bledsoe. The former University of Kentucky standout and NBA Slam Dunk Contest participant figures to get plenty of opportunities as a key piece in Phoenix after playing in primarily as a reserve in Los Angeles.
Recently hired Head Coach Jeff Hornacek has expressed his plan to pair Bledsoe and returning point guard Goran Dragic together in the backcourt, providing the Suns a dual threat of playmaking at the guard positions.
The scrimmage will also provide the first look at No. 5 overall pick Alex Len. The rookie center is coming off ankle surgery, but impressed during his college career at Maryland with his footwork and potential for low-post scoring. Len will join Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris and Miles Plumlee as significant big men to watch.
Fellow first-round pick Archie Goodwin will make his first local appearance after starring in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas earlier this summer, where averaged over 13 points per game while showing a knack for driving to the rim and creating contact.
The rest of the Suns’ training camp cast will likely bring an air of added intensity as each player seeks to solidify a roster spot, role, and/or playing time. All but one player is younger than 30, and all will be hoping to impress on the final day of the team’s stay in Flagstaff. Hornacek and Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough have reiterated that training camp will be an open competition with no guarantees or promises made before the team heads north.
The scrimmage will be one of the last impressions made before the Suns host Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Haifa two days later at US Airways Center with tip scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets for that and the rest of the Suns’ home preseason games can be purchased at Ticket Central on Suns.com.