Training Camp 2017

phxccunningham

After a week of training in Flagstaff, the Suns traveled down to Prescott Valley to compete in an open scrimmage and let the fans get a sneak peek at the 2017-18 Phoenix Suns.

Eric Bledsoe, Anthony Bennett, Troy Daniels, Josh Jackson, Mike James, Derrick Jones Jr., Alex Len, Alec Peters

Dragan Bender, Devin Booker, Marquese Chriss, Peter Jok, Elijah Millsap, Tyler Ulis, T.J. Warren

Jones made the first bucket of the game as a familiar crowd gave him a loud ovation. After spending much time at the Prescott Valley Event Center last season playing for the Suns G-League affiliate NAZ Suns, the locals were happy to have him back.

“I loved every second I was here playing,” Jones said. “It’s always going to be great coming back here and playing in front of these fans. It holds something dear to my heart because I came down here and they embraced me with open arms. It was always great being down here.”

As fatigue began to set in due to the long week of training, Jackson credits the veterans for helping push the young players to their limits.

“A lot of the guys here are just telling me to stay competitive through fatigue,” Jackson said. “The biggest problem that us young guys were having was trying to stay focused through fatigue because we were just so tired.”

Fatigue didn’t seem to be an issue with Jackson’s team though as they took an early lead and held onto it almost the rest of the game.

“We had them down pretty much the whole game and then they started to come back,” Jackson said. “We got a little bit winded, but that’s what we expected them to do. We didn’t expect them to lay down.”

It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that Booker sunk a mid-range bucket to put the white team in the lead 44-43. The teams would continue to battle back-and-forth until Len was sent to the free throw line with under five seconds remaining.

Draining both of his shots, he sealed a 52-51 victory for the black team.

“I think Alex Len is taking a major step forward,” Head Coach Earl Watson said.

“We did really good today,” Jackson said. “We had a lot of fun. I know guys are really tired, but I was just really impressed that everybody still came out and gave it their all."

Suns fans came from all over the state to show their support and cheer on the team, but Jackson expressed that he was just as excited about the fans as they were for him.

“They’ve got me really excited this year,” Jackson said. “Expecting great things from us I see. We’re expecting great things from ourselves. Hopefully we can come out and please them this year.”

The Suns will hit the practice court again tomorrow as they begin to gear up for their first preseason game against the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday.

suns-open-scrimmage-comes-down-to-final-seconds

Suns Open Scrimmage Comes Down to Final Seconds

Ryan Wolf

phoenix-suns-training-camp-2017-18

Phoenix Suns Training Camp 2017-18

At this time last year, Derrick Jones Jr. was fighting just to make a spot on the Phoenix Suns roster. Fast-forward to now and he is being crowned the Most Improved Player through the offseason.

“He looks like the most improved player on the team right now,” Eric Bledsoe said. “His jumper looks pretty good. This past week he’s been working. He’s impressed me a lot.”

Jones is primarily known for his high-flying dunks and athletic ability, but after working all offseason on his three-point shot, he has now become a threat from deep.

“If he can hit that three, he’ll play a lot in the NBA,” Jared Dudley said. “They’re giving him freedom to shoot and I think this summer, confidence building has been huge for him.”

Dudley also pointed out that Jones had hit 11 of 14 threes during scrimmages this week.

“Athletically, he’s always been gifted,” Head Coach Earl Watson said. “He’s still athletically gifted above the rim. I feel like he got stronger. The three-point shooting has been phenomenal.”

Jones prides himself in his defensive ability and has high expectations for himself as his career unfolds.

“I know I’m an elite defender,” Jones said. “One day, I hope to be Defensive Player of the Year. One day that’s going to happen, but until then I’ll be the best defender I can be.”

The improvements to Jones’ game has been evident and a topic of discussion between his teammates and coaches, including Watson, who referred to Jones as the most consistent and most improved player on the team.

“It feels great just to know that the coaching staff and the management have trust in me and believe in me,” Jones said.

Suns fans will have an opportunity to get a sneak peek of what Jones has in store for the 2017-18 season during the Open Scrimmage on Friday at the Prescott Valley Event Center with Fan Fest beginning at 3:00p.m, doors opening at 5:00p.m. and tip-off at 6:30 p.m.

“I just can’t wait for that first game,” Jones said. “My name being called and getting into the game, it’s going to be fun.”

derrick-jones-jr-suns-most-improved-player

Derrick Jones Jr.: Suns’ Most Improved Player

The Suns have been hard at work training in Flagstaff as they gear up for the regular season, but now it’s time to add in the fans. The team is holding an open scrimmage in Prescott Valley on Friday for fans to get a first look at the 2017-18 Phoenix Suns.

“I can’t wait,” Eric Bledsoe said. “It’s something we love to do. We’ve been putting the work in and we already started our season by coming here. To carry over in front of the fans to show what we worked on and things of that nature, it’s going to be fun.”

The Open Scrimmage will take place at Prescott Valley Event Center and will feature a Suns intra-squad matchup that is free for the public to attend. Prescott Valley Event Center is home of the Suns G-League affiliate NAZ Suns.

“The guys are excited to see the arena,” Jared Dudley said. “I heard it’s pretty nice.”

Prior to the event, the Suns will host a fan fest with live music, interactive games, a kids area and enter-to-win prizes, including autographed Suns merchandise and Suns tickets. Fan Fest will begin at 3 p.m. and the Open Scrimmage will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 5 p.m.

The scrimmage will provide a unique experience for fans to watch as the Suns prepare for the regular season. Following the event, the Suns will hold a post-game autograph session.

“Good thing about the scrimmage is you know it’s the end of training camp and start getting ready for the regular season,” Dudley said.

suns-gear-up-for-open-scrimmage-in-prescott-valley

Suns Gear Up for Open Scrimmage in Prescott Valley

While the Phoenix Suns may only spend a week in Flagstaff for Training Camp, the organization is leaving an indelible mark on the community that will last for much, much longer. Special guests visiting the Valley of the Sun YMCA in Flagstaff got a chance to test a shiny new basketball court on Wednesday courtesy of Phoenix Suns Charities.

“It’s an awesome day for us,” President and CEO of Valley of the Sun YMCA Bryan Madden said. “The Phoenix Suns have been a big part of what we do. We have a large Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury program. We are the largest provider of youth sports in the country and we want to continue to provide those sports to the kids in the Arizona area.”

To unveil the newly refurbished court today, Suns broadcaster Tom Leander led a special event featuring The Gorilla, the Suns’ Solar Squad, officials from Phoenix Suns Charities and NAU President Rita Cheng, plus more than 30 YMCA kids that got a chance to hit the hardwood and play on the revitalized court. 

Flagstaff is just one of my many cities in Arizona to be awarded newly refurbished basketball courts. It is part of the Suns’ statewide community initiative to refurbish, restore or build 50 courts throughout Arizona.  The Boys &amp; Girls Club of Flagstaff was also the beneficiary of a newly refurbished court.

“We’ve been hearing stories from adults in the community talking about coming to these courts they grew up playing on,” Sarah Krahenbuhl Executive Director of Suns Charities said. “Where sometimes they had to draw chalk lines on the courts but they don’t care, they just wanted to play basketball. Now we get to offer them a beautiful shiny court to play on. It’s really special.

Last week, Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver and Phoenix Suns Charities awarded a $1 million grant to renovate basketball courts throughout the state in celebration of the Phoenix Suns’ 50th season in the Valley, ensuring that the next generation has safe, welcoming and enjoyable places to play the game we love. The courts will be refurbished throughout the Suns 2017-18 season.

suns-court-dedication-at-valley-of-the-sun-ymca-in-flagstaff

Suns Court Dedication at Valley of the Sun YMCA in Flagstaff

When the Suns traded for Troy Daniels, they not only received a knock-down three-point shooter, but a player whose game can help stretch the court for his teammates.

Daniels is going into his fifth season and is coming off a career-high in minutes played and his best scoring average in a full season.

He’s lights out from beyond the arc, shooting over 40 percent from deep for his career. With three-point shooting becoming more and more essential every season, Head Coach Earl Watson knows how much of an impact Daniels can have for the Suns.

“His three-point shooting is desperately needed,” Watson said. “He stretches the court and he becomes a better compliment next to [Devin Booker] or Tyler [Ulis] or even [Eric} Bledsoe.”

A highly efficient three-point shooter like Daniels not only forces the defense to respect the shooter, but also opens up the court for the rest of the team.

“I think it’s extremely important,” Marquese Chriss said. “I think it helps everybody on the floor to have a shooter. I think it spaces the floor for the guards and the bigs. It just opens up everything.”

The Suns already have a high-volume scorer in Devin Booker, but put another strong shooter next to him and the the defense may be in some trouble.

“That can be scary,” Daniels said about the idea of playing with Booker. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

As training camp continues, Daniels is getting settled in to playing with his new teammates and adjusting to his new role in a Suns uniform.

“I think Phoenix is in a great place,” Daniels said. “I think they have some great young players. So I’m looking forward to playing with those guys.”

what-troy-daniels-brings-to-the-phoenix-suns-lineup

What Troy Daniels Brings to the Phoenix Suns Lineup

Although training camp officially began on Tuesday, this was business as usual for the Suns squad as most of the team had chosen to work together all summer.

They made the road trip up to Flagstaff on Monday and took to the court for their 2017 Training Camp on Tuesday morning.

“It felt good,” Devin Booker said. “Put in a couple plays. Ran a lot of five-on-zero. Just getting a feel for each other. Went over spacing. Things that we just need to learn as a team.”

After working on individual player development last year, team strategy became the main focus for this year according to Head Coach Earl Watson.

“Tone is intensity, but also a lot of teaching,” Watson said. “It’ll be a little different from last year. Just bringing it all together. Taking our youthful development and taking them a step further with team strategy.”

The dedication to building team chemistry has been displayed all summer with the players staying in town, hitting the gym and working through their off-season training together.

“We had a group of guys who committed an entire offseason to living in Phoenix,” Watson said. “Norm in the NBA is you go home. Wherever home is, you leave that NBA city and you comeback maybe a week before training camp if not the weekend of.”

Booker has seen the work ethic of his teammates all summer and was pleased with the first day of training camp.

“Everyone’s been putting the work in. Everyone’s been being a real professional, taking it serious. I think that’s the first step in becoming a winning team.

The new players in the organization may need some time to get used to the elevation change. Coming from Phoenix at just 1,086 feet to Flagstaff’s 6,910 feet adds an extra element to the teams training.

“You can definitely feel the altitude up here,” Josh Jackson said. “When we got up here yesterday I immediately felt it without even getting up and down the court.”

The Suns will continue training camp for the remainder of the week and wrap it all up with an all-team scrimmage Friday night in Prescott.

suns-arrive-in-flagstaff-for-day-one-of-training-camp

Suns Arrive in Flagstaff for Day One of Training Camp

admin

The Phoenix Suns have signed forward T.J. Warren to a multiyear contract extension.“We are excited about extending T.J.’s contract,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “T.J. has improved every year and we think he has the potential to continue to grow as he just begins to approach his prime.  We view T.J. as an important part of our young core going forward and we are glad that we were able to reach an agreement on this extension.”Warren, a 6-8, 215-pound forward, is entering his fourth NBA season and averaged career highs of 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 31.0 minutes in 66 games (59 starts) in 2016-17. The 24-year-old also shot 49.5 percent from the field, placing 28th on the NBA leaderboard. One of the league’s most efficient scorers, Warren averaged 17.6 points on 56.0 percent shooting following last season’s All-Star break as he and LeBron James were the only wings, and two of just six players overall, to average at least 15 points and shoot at least 55 percent during the season’s second half.Originally the Suns’ selection with the 14th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Warren holds career averages of 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 24.4 minutes in 153 games, all with Phoenix. With a career field goal mark of 50.2 percent, he is one of just two players from the 2014 NBA Draft class (Nikola Jokic) to be averaging double-digits scoring while making at last half of his field goal attempts.A native of Durham, North Carolina, Warren starred collegiately for two seasons at North Carolina State University. In his final season with the Wolfpack in 2013-14, he earned ACC Player of the Year honors and set a single-season school record with 871 points, breaking the 39-year-old record previously held by Hall of Famer David Thompson.The Suns are currently in Flagstaff for training camp on the campus of Northern Arizona University. Training camp will conclude with an open scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 29, at the Prescott Valley Event Center, home of the Suns’ NBA G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns. Phoenix will play five preseason games, including three at home from October 9-13, before tipping off the team’s 50th season with the Coca-Cola &amp; Fry’s Food Stores Home Opener on Wednesday, October 18 against the Portland Trail Blazers at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

suns-sign-t-j-warren-to-contract-extension

Suns Sign T.J. Warren To Contract Extension

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>