Suns’ Supporting Cast Spotlighted; Ishbia Pushes Back on 30-Win Forecast as Lakers Check In on Doncic
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August 27, 2025 — Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic has identified the five most important Phoenix Suns players outside of recently extended All-Star guard Devin Booker. The list features forward Ryan Dunn, trade acquisitions Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, and centers Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach.
Team owner Mat Ishbia also addressed ESPN’s projection that Phoenix will finish with 30 victories this season. “I’m not worried about what the so-called experts think,” Ishbia wrote on X while sharing a Burn City Sports post about the prediction. “They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then. We’re focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that’s tough and gritty.” The Suns won 36 games last year with a roster still featuring 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant.
Lakers Front Office Visits Doncic in Poland
Across the Pacific Division, Lakers president Rob Pelinka and other team officials traveled to Poland to meet with five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic before the start of EuroBasket play. Doncic is preparing to compete for Slovenia.
Pelinka praised the 26-year-old’s offseason regimen. “He’s in great shape, really committed to working hard this summer, and seeing that in person was worth flying over the ocean,” Pelinka told reporters.
Doncic reiterated his commitment to summer national-team duty. “I always want to represent my country,” he said. “If I’m healthy, I will always play.” The guard helped Slovenia win EuroBasket in 2017, defeating Nikola Jokić’s Serbia, and suffered a quarterfinal upset by Poland in 2022.
Pelinka said the organization supports Doncic’s decision. “We just wanted to make a statement to Luka that we support what he does for his country. That’s really important to the Lakers when we have a player that’s the face of our franchise,” he noted.
Source: Hoops Rumors
