The long-awaited near suns return to basketball in the first scrimmage on Thursday

At first, it was not entirely clear how we would get here. Then there was a question as to whether we would be able to get here.

2020 still has just under 23 hours at the time of writing to ruin everything, but as of now, Phoenix Suns basketball will return.

The Suns will play the first of three scrimmage games in Orlando’s NBA bubble on Thursday at 5:00 pm against Utah Jazz.

There is so much for Phoenix to do that head coach Monty Williams is still working to finalize a rotation for his team on Wednesday night.

Point guard Ricky Rubio has just returned to the squad and practiced Tuesday after being away from the coronavirus. The backup center Aron Baynes is still in Phoenix with the coronavirus, while guards Elie Okobo and Jalen Lecque are far from the team also for personal reasons.

Starting little striker Kelly Oubre Jr. is with the team and is still making his way back from meniscus surgery but isn’t doing much contact work in practice, so it’s safe to say he won’t play Thursday.

Rubio’s scrimmage status was left in the air by both himself and Williams on Wednesday, so we can include it in this in-depth graphic look.

PG: Ricky Rubio (?), Ty Jerome, Cameron Payne

SG: Devin Booker, Jevon Carter

SF: Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson

PF: Dario Saric, Frank Kaminsky

C: Deandre Ayton, Cheick Diallo

The scrimmages will take a look at how Williams unfolds two things: the protection of the backup point and the hole left on the wing by Oubre.

To the reserve guard, Jerome seems the favorite given his first-round status and time with the team, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Payne get the nod. Carter will spend time at both points given his defense and shooting. And with the point where Carter fell in the order to peck this season, if Rubio doesn’t play, it would be another bet to start. So who knows, really.

Due to the inconsistent minutes from that point behind Booker and having an understanding on the wing, Williams often deployed Bridges to two guards to find his long wing plus minutes.

It’s something we could still see, but without Baynes, which probably slides Kaminsky and Saric down for another five minutes. Going small with Bridges and Johnson as attackers is a look to be expected and one of which we have already seen a good part that gives Johnson more racing. A wrinkle like Johnson or Kaminsky is Saric’s first subtitle, so Saric can come back later as the five are a target shot.

Williams said Tuesday that he compares similarly to the first game of a preseason program in that it is still four quarters, with the preparation and anticipation that comes before the initial one is also there. The differences lie in the fact that each of the three quarters is reduced to 10 minutes in total and the entire NBA bubble / campus deal to go directly to the gym.

He also mentioned changes to the courtroom configuration itself, which you can see from Wednesday’s pictures.

“It will be different to play in an environment – the situation of the fans, the spacing,” he said Tuesday.

As for basketball itself, from asking the people involved, it seems we shouldn’t overcomplicate it.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a little different, but I took multiple shots with people not around (with) people in the stands,” Booker said Tuesday. “I’ve been in this situation before. I have already played in empty gyms and I have played in full gyms. Just having the chance to compete is what I can’t wait. “

It won’t necessarily have gone up to 100% in a scrimmage, but Williams says that this specific environment with what’s in line will bring an extra layer of juice that the Sun hasn’t seen.

“My instinct is that it will take the whole team here a minute to get their normal pace in relation to the game, but the stakes are so high that I think the kids will be able to increase their intensity outside the gate.” Williams said Tuesday. “We spent a lot of time talking to our kids about that particular aspect: we don’t have time to wait. We don’t have time to get fit.

“So our guys were pretty diligent in playing 1 on 1 after rehearsals, when we got the 5 out of 5 scripts it was really top notch – a lot of trash talk, high intensity and I tried to impress our guys that the level will be higher than we have seen all year, even if the teams are not in excellent shape. The physicality and intensity of the games will probably be at the highest levels in my opinion that we have seen all year because the stakes are higher. “

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