The Phoenix Suns are seventh in the Western Conference after eclipsing 20 wins on the season, defeating the Sacramento Kings 129-102 on Friday, and they are only getting better with the help of their legendary senior advisor.
Suns Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash was seen at Phoenix’s practice on Saturday going over individual skill development with guards Devin Booker and Collin Gillespie.
Nash joined the team on a senior advisory role along with the terrific work he’s doing on panel for Amazon Prime’s NBA coverage this season.
Phoenix is 20-14 and vying for a spot in the West’s top six despite entering the season projected as one of the worst teams in the league. One of the main reasons for their surge? Gillespie’s breakout.
Suns’ backcourt production this season
Gillespie is a serious contender for this season’s most improved award, posting 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game on 44.5-42.9-87.5 shooting splits.
Booker, despite struggling from the field early this season (shooting 53.5% on 2-pointers and 29.7% from beyond the arc), is having another quality year being the sure-fire first option for the first time since Phoenix made the finals in 2021.
The four-time All-Star is averaging 25.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 34.0 minutes per game.
The Suns are a game behind Minnesota for the seventh seed and have a great chance of avoiding the play-in should Denver plummet in the standings while Nikola Jokic recovers from his injury.
Nash, Booker and first-year head coach Jordan Ott have done their parts in reshaping Phoenix’s culture after a few seasons of high expectations and disappointment.