Alright, let’s talk about figuring out that Suns lineup. It’s something I spent a good chunk of time on today, trying to get it right for my own tracking, maybe a little fantasy prep, you know?
So, first thing I did was just open up my usual sports app. Checked the basics – who’s playing tonight, what’s the injury report looking like. That’s always step one. Saw Booker and Durant were good to go, no surprise there. But then you get to the other guys, and it gets tricky.
Injury reports are key, but sometimes confusing. Beal was listed as questionable again. Classic. That throws a wrench in everything. So, okay, if Beal’s out, who steps up? That was my next thought process. I started mentally shuffling players around.
Digging Deeper
Just knowing who might be out isn’t enough. I needed to see what they actually did in past games. So, I pulled up the box scores from their last few matchups. I wasn’t looking for crazy stats, just specifically who got the start. Who was on the floor for the tip-off?
- Checked game 1: Okay, standard lineup with Beal.
- Checked game 2: Ah, Beal was out here. Gordon started. Makes sense.
- Checked game 3: Different opponent, they went bigger, maybe started Eubanks alongside Nurkic? No wait, that was that weird game where Allen kinda ran point for a bit.
It wasn’t super consistent, honestly. That’s the rub with the Suns this year, felt like they were always adjusting based on who they played or who was healthy.
I even spent some time looking for coach’s comments. You know, reading summaries from after the last game or practice reports. Sometimes they drop hints. Mostly got the usual coach-speak, though. “We need guys to step up,” “We’ll adapt,” blah blah blah. Not much solid info to work with.
Making the Call (or Guess)
After maybe 30 minutes of this, looking at box scores, injury lists, reading quotes… I had a slightly better picture, but it wasn’t crystal clear. With Beal questionable, Gordon seemed like the most likely plug-in, based on the last time Beal sat. But you never know if they’ll try something different based on tonight’s matchup.
So, what did I end up jotting down? I put down Booker, Durant, Nurkic, Allen, and Gordon as the probable starters. Put a big mental asterisk next to Gordon, pending the final word on Beal closer to game time. It felt like the most logical guess based on the pattern I saw.
It’s a process, right? You gather the info you can, look at past behavior, and make your best educated guess. Sometimes you nail it, sometimes the coach throws a curveball. Just part of following the team closely, I guess. Felt like I did my homework, at least.
