Summer League 2014

Matt Petersen

Phoenix saw plenty of encouraging growth from its young stash of talent, though the final result wasn't the win they'd hoped for.

The Suns and lost to the Warriors in the closing seconds despite 22 points from T.J. Warren and some clutch play from fellow rookie Tyler Ennis. Golden State's Justin Holiday rebounded an airball from a teammate and completed the putback in the final seconds, ultimately giving the Warriors a 74-72 win.

Archie Goodwin added 17 points for the Suns, who struggled to connect from the perimeter (0-for-11 from downtown).

During an in-game NBA TV cameo, Suns Head Coach Jeff Hornacek shared his prediction on the future of rookie T.J. Warren.

"I think he's going to be a big-time scorer in this league as the years go on," Hornacek said.

If Day One of the NBA Summer League is any indication, it won't take that long. Warren wasted no time implementing the same skills that saw him average 24.9 points per game at North Carolina State. He leaked out for easy baskets in transition, absorbed contact and scored anyway, and moved without the ball into seams of the defense, where the Suns point guards eventually found him for quick baskets in the paint.

By the time he was done, Warren had scored 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting and added a steal and a block to his totals.

Phoenix trailed by seven at halftime, but their core of young keepers changed the tone of the game with a monstrous third quarter. A Warren and-one put the Suns up by one, then Goodwin took over by scoring  a variety of driving layups through contact. He also converted a baseline jumper after losing his defender with a cross-over.

Len also made mark, coming up with multiple stops on defense while showing his increased strength with an offensive board and putback jam.

Summer League head coach Mike Longabardi said lineups featuring both Len and Miles Plumlee would be a possibility, and he stuck to that by starting both of them. It wasn't a brief experiment, either. The duo logged multiple stretches together, and when one subbed out, it was often so 7-foot-1 second-round pick Alec Brown could maintain the twin towers effect.

Len looked much more comfortable in extended minutes, whether it was hitting Plumlee with a perfect bounce pass in traffic or reading the opposing offense and making the necessary defensive rotations.

He and Plumlee will hope for a better shooting performance on Sunday after combining to go 3-for-14 from the field. Len's mid-range jumper, so consistent in practices and scrimmages, should fall at some point, as should Plumlee's post hooks.

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Warren Shines as Suns Fall to Warriors

If anyone understands the second-year leap, it’s Miles Plumlee.

Phoenix’s starting center had, by all accounts, an underwhelming rookie season in 2012-13. He played a total of 55 minutes, hardly enough time to make a lasting impact among NBA circles.

Then the summer league happened. Plumlee had fared well in his first go-around after getting drafted in 2012, but the 2013 summer league in Orlando showed what had been subdued on the Pacers’ bench. He averaged 10.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.5 steals over a four-game stretch that caught the eye of Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough.

Phoenix swung a trade for him just a month later, and Plumlee blossomed as the Suns’ main rim protector and rebounder in his second year.

McDonough doesn’t deem Plumlee’s rise to relevance as an anomaly. Indeed, he labels the transition from Year 1 to Year 2 as “the biggest summer of a player’s career.”

The Suns are hoping for a Plumlee-like rise from 2013 first-round picks Archie Goodwin and Alex Len. Both are coming off rookie seasons that boasted more learning than playing, though that was due to elements beyond either player’s control. Len was recovering from dual ankle surgeries, a process that wasn’t complete until Phoenix was well into its late-season playoff push. Goodwin was drafted before the Suns acquired Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green and Ish Smith, all of whom (along with Goran Dragic) experienced career years and gobbled up the majority of backcourt minutes.

That doesn’t mean Goodwin and Len’s first year was a waste. The former spent countless hours on his shooting stroke and used D-League playing time and NBA spot minutes to acclimate his athletic gifts to the flow of the game. He tickled Suns fans’ imaginations with his 29-point regular season finale at Sacramento, and Plumlee says his tangible improvement has continued in offseason scrimmages and pickup games.

“He’s definitely getting better, also more poised, more comfortable,” Plumlee said. “He’s not as reckless as he used to be, I think. [His speed] is a great asset, but the more you can control it I think will be to his advantage.”

That’s a big part of why Phoenix felt it landed a steal when it only had to trade up to 29 in last year’s draft to nab Goodwin. His ability to get to the rim was already elite. Once other skills and a little patience were added in, the Suns figured his value would far exceed where he was picked.

That vision could become reality sooner than later.

“He’s good enough to be a rotational player in this league,” said summer league head coach Mike Longabardi. “He’s very blessed with God-given ability with his quickness and athleticism. That’s why we like him.”

Len, meanwhile, has bulked up considerably. The 7-1 big man now sports a frame that looks physically imposing, a result of five visits a week to the weight room as well as non-stop on-court workouts with assistant coaches Mark West and Kenny Gattison. Len said he has put on 10 pounds of muscle since the regular season ended. Since then, Longabardi said he’s done almost nothing besides do time with “the training staff mafia.”

“I didn’t go anywhere [after the season],” Len said. “I stayed here in Phoenix. After Summer League I’m going to come back and just keep working here.”

Plumlee sees and feels the difference when he has to go head-to-head with him in scrimmages.

“He’s definitely stronger,” Plumlee added. “He’s been in the weight room all year. He’s just a lot more poised in the post. I think he’s kind of learned his game, his advantages. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, so the quicker you learn those and learn how to play the best you can…I think he’s picking it up.”

“[Len's] definitely stronger. He’s been in the weight room all year. He’s just a lot more poised in the post. I think he’s kind of learned his game, his advantages. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, so the quicker you learn those and learn how to play the best you can…I think he’s picking it up.”

The next week in Vegas will serve as a stage for Len and Goodwin to prove their progress. They will be featured prominently in Longabardi’s lineups, giving them the NBA quality minutes that, ultimately, are necessary for meaningful development .

“There’s no substitute for playing,” Longabardi said.

Plumlee knows this, and knows how a quality summer league can lead to a career-changing season.

“I think it’s just a great launching pad for what you’ve been working on in the summer,” he said. “They both have a year under their belt. Regardless of how much they played, they watched a lot and they got to practice against us.”

Len is particularly eager to trade practice gear for game jerseys after being forced to sit out last year’s summer league. Confidence has returned with his health, and the two factors could combine to make him the don’t-forget-about-me guy at Vegas.

“I’m pulling for him,” Longabardi said. “I’m one of his biggest fans. I want him to do really, really well… He’s feeling more comfortable, which is important. He’s playing a lot more free and easy, which is good. Hopefully that will continue.”

If it does, Phoenix could find itself with a devastatingly versatile big man to pair with anyone in the frontcourt. Len’s teammates were adamant that he sported one of the best mid-range shots of any big man they’d played with, extending his range out to roughly 18-20 feet.

If he and Goodwin show lasting improvement, Phoenix may find two of its better offseason acquisitions come from within.

“We’re second-year players, so there’s going to be more pressure on us,” Len said. “I’m excited for this challenge and I’m excited for the opportunity.”

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Len, Goodwin Eager to Start Second-Year Leap

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Get to Know Your Summer Suns

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns begin two-a-day workouts in Phoenix on Tuesday, July 8, in preparation for the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 11-21. The 12-man roster is highlighted by Suns’ 2014 first-round picks T.J. Warren (14th overall) and Tyler Ennis (18th overall), along with Suns players Miles Plumlee, Alex Len, Archie Goodwin and Dionte Christmas. Phoenix Suns Assistant Coach Mike Longabardi will serve as head coach of the summer league team.

Phoenix tips off its summer league schedule at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, versus the Golden State Warriors in a rematch of last year’s inaugural NBA Summer League Championship. The Suns will look to avenge their defeat in last year’s title game against the Warriors in the first of three games on the Suns’ schedule at COX Pavilion. In the second year of a tournament-style schedule, each team will compete in three preliminary round games from July 11-15 before being seeded in a tournament that runs through the Championship Game on July 21. Each team is guaranteed to play at least five games.

The Suns’ 12-man roster is listed below. You can find Phoenix's summer league schedule here.

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Suns' 2014 Summer League Roster Announced

When the Suns tip off the 2014 Summer League in Las Vegas, they’ll do so with a rematch of last year’s championship game.

Golden State will be Phoenix’s first opponent in the 10-day, five-game (minimum) sprint of games that beings July 11. Every team will boast a variety of rookies, young talent and free agents in what serves as the best offseason experience for player development.

Second-year guard Archie Goodwin, who put up over 13 points per game as an 18-year-old rookie a year ago in Vegas, will likely be on the roster. Second-year big man and former No. 5 overall pick Alex Len is also a likely participant. Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough indicated this year's summer league would be a key component for both players' offseason developement.

The Suns roster will likely be finalized following the NBA Draft, in which the Suns have three first-round selections and four draft picks overall.

Milwaukee and Philadelphia round out Phoenix’s preliminary opponents before the elimination portion of the tournament takes place. The Suns advanced all the way to the championship game before losing to the Warriors 91-77 last summer.

NBA TV will televise all 67 games, and fans can also tune in via the NBA Summer League app. Games will be played on the campus of UNLV, where tickets can be purchased.

Saturday, July 12 -- Phoenix vs. Golden State (5:00 p.m.)

Sunday, July 13 -- Milwaukee vs. Phoenix (7:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, July 15 -- Philadelphia vs. Phoenix (5:00 p.m.)

*Phoenix will play at least two more games in the elimination portion of the Summer League

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Suns Summer League Schedule Set

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