Training Camp

Ryan Wolf

2019-20-phoenix-suns-training-camp-day-1

2019-20 Phoenix Suns Training Camp Day 1

through-the-years-suns-open-scrimmages

Through the Years: Suns Open Scrimmages

Tony Gautier

Los Phoenix Suns regresan a Flagstaff, AZ por tercera temporada consecutiva para reportarse al campamento de entrenamiento en la Universidad del Norte de Arizona del día 29 de septiembre al 3 de octubre.

Este año se cumplen 19 ocasiones en que la ciudad de Flagstaff ha sido la cede del campamento de entrenamiento del equipo y por tercer año consecutivo desde el regreso de los Suns en el 2013, ya que habían estado ausentes desde el 2004. Phoenix realizó su primer campamento de entrenamiento en Flagstaff en 1986, que por coincidencia fue la primera vez que participó Jeff Hornacek, el ahora entrenador del equipo.

Phoenix comienza su pre-temporada el 7 de octubre a las 7 p.m. en contra de los Kings de Sacramento en la arena Talking Stick Resort, iniciando una serie de seis partidos de exhibición en preparación para la temporada número 48 del plantel dentro de la NBA.

los-suns-regresan-a-flagstaff-para-el-campamento-de-entrenamiento-del-2015

Los Suns regresan a Flagstaff para el campamento de entrenamiento del 2015

Matt Petersen

Physical fitness is a must for the Suns. In order to keep pace within Head Coach Jeff Hornacek’s uptempo offense, “rounding into shape” simply isn’t an option, even in the offseason.

Players were left with summer homework, tailored to each of their specific skill sets and needs. Part of their take-home packets included personalized workout outlines from the Suns’ renowned training staff. If they chose to stay in the Valley, they had the added bonus of team personnel on hand to assist them.

Markieff and Marcus Morris took their offseason work ethic to another level. After turning in career seasons in 2013-14, the brothers dedicated their summer to trimming unnecessary body fat, refining muscle mass and upping their stamina.

The result was summed up by Hornacek, who recently said the Morris twins are “in the best shape I have ever seen them.”

The process in getting to this point is often unappreciated. It requires hours upon hours of non-stop work on one’s own time, even when – and perhaps especially when – offseason down time and food-friendly reuinions with family and friends are readily available.

Part of the Morrises’ workout regime was captured at the Chuck Ellis Pro Training Camp, where other professional athletes also made a renewed commitment to physical fitness.

suns-see-results-of-morris-twins-offseason-workouts

Suns See Results of Morris Twins' Offseason Workouts

Miles Plumlee feels it when he tries to box out. Goran Dragic and the rest of the Suns guards see it when they drive to the rim.

We’re talking about the 7-foot-1 presence of Alex Len, who is just relieved that health has finally allowed him to play without restrictions.

His teammates have noticed. They see a different Len than the smaller, less assertive rookie version from a season ago. P.J. Tucker, who relishes competition at any level, tabbed the back-and-forth action between Len and Plumlee as the most note-worthy battle early on.

“I like Alex,” Tucker said. “Alex has just been going at it with Miles and Shav[lik Randolph] and all our bigs. He’s been really competitive and getting after it.”

Plumlee, who has improved in his own right after a productive offseason, appreciates Len’s progress. He had his own rookie struggles that resulted in just 55 total minutes in 2012-13. The following summer gave him the chance to improve in the most key areas, enabling him to become an impact player far sooner than many predicted.

He says the same thing is happening with Len, who didn’t allow a broken finger to deter offseason conditioning. The second-year big man now weighs in at 263 pounds.

“We’ve been playing every day in pickup. [Len] looked great. He’s definitely bulked up, a lot stronger. I think it’s the same thing that happened to me. He’s just a little more decisive.”

The extra muscle mass is evenly distributed. Core, chest and legs are all significantly stronger, which better enables him to bang down low without causing too much stress on the lower bones. Speaking of which, Len’s feet are completely healed, something easily noticeable when he rises for swift and powerful finishes during half-court set drills.

Plumlee saw Len’s dramatic improvement up close even before training camp commenced.

“We’ve been playing every day in pickup,” he said. “[Len] looked great. He’s definitely bulked up, a lot stronger. I think it’s the same thing that happened to me. He’s just a little more decisive.”

Len’s decisions are preceded by patience. He poured over tape of himself – good and bad – and saw one thing jump out above everything else: he was too eager. After coming back from injuries in the middle of last season, he was desperate to make an impact, to prove he had been worth waiting for long after being drafted fifth overall.

So he rushed his shots, tried to rebound without establishing position, and committed unnecessary fouls.

Much as Plumlee did last summer, Len spent the offseason in informal big man school run by assistant coaches Mark West and Kenny Gattison. Read the defense, they told him. Do your work early, get position, then act.

“This year I just got a little more poise,” Len said.

When it comes to big men, success is largely dictated by the talent and opportunities presented by his point guard. Len is fortunate in that he is almost always on the floor with a starting-caliber floor general in Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe or Isaiah Thomas.

 “They always talk to me, tell me where they want me to be, what spot they want me to be at,” Len said. “Every time they drive, I’m going to be open. It’s going to be easy.”

That isn’t to say Len is taking it easy. Hornacek labeled Len – in tandem with fellow second-year man Archie Goodwin – as the hardest-working player on the team. General Manager Ryan McDonough dubbed Len and Plumlee as the most-improved guys since the end of last season.

Len’s improvement couldn’t be more timely. Last season, Channing Frye would start at power forward before sliding over to center. With him gone and none of the other power forwards boasting Frye’s height, Len realizes the role and opportunity that are his to take.

“There will be more playing time for me, but I feel you have to earn it,” he said. “Training camp is the place to do that. I’m going to work my butt off. We’ll see what comes. I’m just excited to be healthy, you know what I’m saying? I’m ready to play.”

bigger-better-len-turning-heads-at-camp

Bigger, Better Len Turning Heads at Camp

Conclusions are a rarity after one day of training camp. Some must wait beyond the Suns’ stay in Flagstaff, when Head Coach Jeff Hornacek will use the exhibition season as a live simulation for different lineups, plays, etc.

Yet there was one thing everyone – players and coach – agreed on after Day One: the team is significantly more on the same page than it was at this time a year ago.

“Honestly, the beginning of this camp has gone smoother,” said Miles Plumlee. “Guys seem like they’re more ready to play this year than even last year, even though last year we did really well.”

Even Hornacek was more effusive than usual in praising his players after full-court editions of set plays. Five-man groups would grab a rebound, race down the floor and quickly commence a half-court set. Once the resulting basket was attempted and made (or the first miss was rebounded and then converted), that group would speed off toward the other end for another go.

The Suns’ head coach is a stickler when it comes to execution, particularly when the transition game is initially thwarted. Arrive just a little too late to set a screen, cut just a little too soon before an area is clear, and the entire play falls apart. Hornacek made his NBA living, especially later in his playing career with the Jazz, by staying true and precise in offensive schemes.

“Guys are just in the right place. We’re not dropping passes, making mistakes. When you first get here, guys are normally missing all their shots, but we actually did really well today. I think coach is actually really happy.”

— Miles Plumlee
So it was a big deal when he enthusiastically praised the team for how well they had done just that after just one practice.

“They picked it up a lot quicker,” Hornacek said. “When we did our initial running, the weave stuff, and guys really got it and were running hard. I thought it was a great sign that they’re ready to go.”

Continuity helps. The Suns boast 10 returning players from last season, including its main playmakers in Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. The coaching staff returns in its entirety.

Hornacek is also ensuring that the newcomers – rookies T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis and Zoran Dragic, as well as free agent signees Isaiah Thomas and Anthony Tolliver – are put in a position to learn quickly. He sprinkles them among the aforementioned five-man groups so that each of them is plays with at least three returning Suns.

After that, the veterans have made themselves readily available when questions arise. Consequently, each newcomer receives relevant communication from a teammate who plays the same position.

 “Guys are just in the right spots,” Plumlee said. “We’re not dropping passes, making mistakes. When you first get here, guys are normally missing all their shots, but we actually did really well today. I think coach is actually really happy.”

This makes life for the coaching staff that much easier. Hornacek already alluded to “new wrinkles” they’ll be throwing into the offense as camp and, eventually, the preseason progress.

Seeing how quickly his players acclimate to one play, Hornacek is confident they can handle more, which in turn will give opposing defenses that much more to worry about.

“It’s not like we have to go step by step on every single thing we do,” Hornacek said. “We can get into things quicker.”

hornacek-great-sign-that-suns-learning-offense-quickly

Hornacek: 'Great Sign' That Suns Learning Offense Quickly

If you thought 48 wins and defying outside expectations would give egos some room to grow, think again.

The message entering Jeff Hornacek’s second training camp as the Suns’ head coach is unchanged since Year One.

“It’s the same thing. No spots are guaranteed,” he said. “If somebody came back from the summer and is a better player, they could take your spot.”

A brief glance at the various positional matchups is enough to see that. Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas will be a three-headed monster, though they will hold each other accountable before the opponents. That doesn’t include rookies Tyler Ennis and Zoran Dragic, and second-year man Archie Goodwin.

“I’ve never been on a team with this many talented guards,” Thomas said.

Other competitions exist. The pickup game battles between former college scoring machine T.J. Warren and defensive ace P.J. Tucker have already received rave reviews. A bulked-up and healed Alex Len has given just as much as he’s taken from Miles Plumlee, which means Phoenix has pair of hungry young big men to hold down the fort in the middle.

“No spots are guaranteed. If somebody came back from the summer and is a better player, they could take your spot.”

The Suns were in a similar situation of young surplus last season. A willing attitude form the players and a masterful juggling act from the coaching staff – based on non-biased accountability - helped make internal competition an uplifting experience rather than one of unease.

“If you’re not going to play well, you need to battle for the spot,” Dragic said. “It’s nothing on paper as far as how many minutes you’re going to get. That’s a good thing. We have a lot of guys that play the same position. That’s a competition.”

Credit the Suns’ front office for providing this atmosphere. McDonough said on Monday’s media day that he and his team had accumulated “the best 15 players we could find,” regardless of position.

The players themselves know as much. The argument still holds that none of them have made an All-Star team (yet). Nearly all of them boast an elite skill that could be of use on a particular night or in a specific matchup. Forget to use your own skill to the utmost one day, and another player will be ready and waiting to step in.

As Dragic pointed out, that attitude is a positive one. Players know that their teammates have their back.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a little motivation from those same teammates either.

“It’s open and these guys know it,” Hornacek said. “That’s what makes them compete.”

hornacek-to-players-no-spots-are-guaranteed

Hornacek to Players: No Spots Are Guaranteed

admin

PHOENIX - The Phoenix Suns will return to Flagstaff, Ariz. for the second consecutive season when they report for training camp at Northern Arizona University from September 30 through October 4.

This year marks the 18th time the City of Flagstaff has hosted the team’s training camp and the second straight year after the Suns returned in 2013 for the first time since 2004. Phoenix first used Flagstaff as a training camp site in 1986, coincidentally the first training camp as a player for now Head Coach Jeff Hornacek.  

The Suns’ week in Flagstaff will culminate with an open to the public scrimmage, starting at noon on Saturday, Oct. 4, at NAU’s J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome. The training camp workout schedule begins at the J.C. Rolle Activity Center on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and continues through the intrasquad scrimmage. Media availability will be held following the morning session at the Rolle Activity Center each day from Sept. 30-Oct. 3, as well as following the scrimmage at the Walkup Skydome on Oct. 4. A training camp schedule is included below.

Phoenix opens the preseason schedule at home against Flamengo at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at US Airways Center to tip-off a seven-game exhibition schedule in preparation for the club’s 47th NBA season.

suns-return-to-flagstaff-for-training-camp

Suns Return to Flagstaff for Training Camp

PayPal

<strong>Holiday Giveback Deal!</strong> Get 25% off upcoming Suns games when you purchase Christmas Day tickets with PayPal. <strong><a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/phoenix-suns-vs-dallas-mavericks-phoenix-arizona-12-25-2023/event/19005F0B53010EA4?CAMEFROM=CFC_SUNS_WEB_HOME_20231225-PAYPAL&amp;_gl=1*1q090lq*_gcl_au*MTQ3NzUwNjg5OC4xNjk5MjMxNjY3">BUY NOW</a></strong>