Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye celebrates a teammate's
point during the first half of an NBA basketball game against
the Utah Jazz on Monday, Jan. 25, 2010, in Salt Lake City.
(AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)
The Phoenix Suns, in 5th place in the West with a record of 31-21, have shown much confidence in their younger players this season. Although they have several key veterans such as Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Jason Richardson, they have not been afraid to play some of their lesser-experienced players. Here is a display of the production from their young players this season through 52 games.
Channing Frye (C): 29.3 min 11.9 pts 5.6 reb .96 blk
Jared Dudley (F): 24.2 min 8.3 pts 3.6 reb .96 stl
Goran Dragic (G): 17.4 min 8.2 pts 2.1 reb 2.4 ast
Robin Lopez (C): 16.2 min 7.1 pts 3.9 reb
1.1 blk
Louis Amundson (F): 14.4 min 4.4 pts
4.6 reb .92 blk
These players are no longer simply substitutes to fill in for injured players or come in during blowouts, they are clearly part of the team's everyday plan this season. As you can see these players are getting significant time to learn on the fly, develop skills, and actually contribute to wins on a regular basis.
This shows that although Suns management and coaching staff believe the team is talented enough to make a playoff run now, they are willing to develop a solid core of young players for the future. Phoenix hasn't seen this much consistent production from a group of young players in quite a while, so it's safe to say they've been very pleased with the results. These young bodies should enable the Suns to rest their starters more often, keeping them healthier; and also allow for more flexibility with matchups as they make their push for the 2009-2010 Western Conference Playoffs.
For More Info: Channing Frye Valley of the Suns article
Jared Dudley AZ Central article
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