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Warren Continues Success Off the Bench in Suns Loss to Warriors

After being a starter the past few years, a role change hasn’t impacted what TJ Warren does best: getting buckets.

The new additions of veterans Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza in the offseason moved TJ Warren to the second unit, but the fifth-year-pro has embraced the change as he has become a force for the Suns off the bench in their first three games.

Warren scored 28 points on Monday night against the Warriors on 12-of-17 shooting. He also tallied four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

Devin Booker described Warren as a “spark plug” off the bench and that’s exactly what he’s been.

“No matter what’s going on, he can play well,” Booker said about his teammate. “He knows how to play the game of basketball and it shows. He’s that piece that we need.”

Not only has Warren been impressive off the bench, but his hard work in the offseason has definitely been on display. Warren has never been known to shoot threes, but this was an area he specifically worked to improve on throughout the summer. 

“One thing I’m really impressed with is his outside shooting,” Josh Jackson said. “He’s been shooting the ball really well. We can see he’s been in the gym working on that.”

Warren has averaged 4.6 threes per game while shooting a highly-efficient 57.1 percent from deep. This means that one of the league’s most efficient scorers may have just gained another weapon.

Booker once again led the way for the Suns in scoring with 28 points to go along with his six assists and five rebounds.

Rookie Deandre Ayton showed yet again why he was selected first overall. The Big Fella notched a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds while also dishing out 5 assists. 

The Suns fell to the Warriors 123-103, but Ayton looks at this game as an opportunity to keep growing. 

“Every game I play I learn from it,” Ayton said. “This game I learned about how fast we can move. Those guys are grown men and they were running faster than us. We’ve just got to keep up our energy and not come out slow and really lock in on defense.”

The Suns will travel back to Arizona for a rivalry matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Be sure to by your tickets here or catch the action on Fox Sports Arizona.