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In addition to Devin Booker, T.J. Warren has been the most consistent scorer interim Phoenix Suns coach Jay Triano has been able to rely on as his team continues to dig out of it’s early season tumult. Whether or not he’ll have Warren available for today’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, however, remains to be seen.
Warren is listed as “questionable” after suffering a head injury during Friday night’s loss in New York. But the Suns got what could be good news when Triano told reporters that Warren would be re-evaluated before today’s game before a decision could be made about his availability. There is a contingency plan, as Scott Borrow of the Arizona Republic explains, that includes a prized rookie being pressed into a more prominent role:
Triano said that if Warren can’t play, he’ll likely move rookie Josh Jackson into the starting rotation. But Warren’s skill-set and offensive prowess will be hard to replicate. He’s been Phoenix’s only consistent scorer other than guard Devin Booker, averaging 16.7 points on 50 percent shooting. No one else in the Suns’ 10-man rotation besides Booker is averaging more than 12 points and shooting better than 40 percent from the field.
In order to get more scoring on the floor, Triano said he could go to smaller lineup that he used sparingly against the Knicks, with Booker at small forward and Troy Daniels at shooting guard. But he’ll also need some production from his point guards; Mike James and Tyler Ulis are a combined 4 of 36 the last two games.
James’ shooting slump is particularly pronounced. He was 9 for 16 from the field in the Suns’ win over Brooklyn on Tuesday. In the four games sandwiching that victory, he’s 4 of 37 from the field.
One player who won’t figure into the mix at small forward is veteran Jared Dudley. Triano said he sees Dudley more as a stretch power forward. Triano said he has thought about shifting forward Dragan Bender to small forward for stretches given Bender’s ability to guard perimeter players. Derrick Jones Jr., who has played only 19 minutes all season, also might see increased playing time.
“These are all things I would think about if we were missing somebody, but I’m not going to plan that way,” Triano said. “I don’t like to speculate.”