Three Takeaways From Suns-Lakers

The Phoenix Suns emerged victorious for the first time in preseason action, but what did we learn along the way?

The Phoenix Suns rebounded in major fashion in a 119-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. 

It wasn't easy, and the Suns trailed by as much as 13 at point in the night. 

However, Phoenix's bench persevered and came through in a major way on Wednesday. 

That's where we'll begin the fun: 

Three Takeaways From Suns-Lakers

Phoenix Suns SG Damion Lee played a major role in their win on Wednesday

Perhaps the Bench can Provide Assistance

Heading into the preseason opener, talk all offseason was how the Suns didn't do enough to improve their bench - especially since Cam Johnson was being promoted to starting status. 

The depth behind the starters in Sunday's loss to the 36ers looked awful, and conversations only rose afterwards. 

Of course, that was only one game. So was Wednesday's victory, but we're in the business of overreacting, right? 

The win against the Lakers - propelled by the bench - showed those guys (who indeed get paid too) can rise to the occasion. 

Four bench players scored at least 12 points:

Dario Saric: 12 pts, 4 reb, 1 stl

Damion Lee: 14 pts, 6 reb

Jock Landale: 16 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk

Landry Shamet: 21 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast

Phoenix emptied their bench in the middle of the third quarter, and their ability to hang around enough to eventually take the lead and never look back displayed what everybody wanted to see in their depth. 

Do the Suns have a bunch of Sixth Man of the Year candidates? Certainly not, but there's a handful of capable contributors. 

Defensive Deficiencies Still Showing

It's hard not to improve after their performance against the Adelaide 36ers, but the Suns still aren't quite there defensively. 

Should they be expected to be cohesive and fully locked in two games into the preseason? Of course not, that's what this is for. 

However, it's hard to say we're sold on Phoenix's ability to defend moving forward, especially with Jae Crowder out of the picture. 

Both Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges have found themselves in foul trouble this preseason, and LeBron may have gone for 45 had he played the entire game. 

The Lakers, without Anthony Davis, were on pace to nearly hit 140 points had the starters remained in. 

The bench did a much better job tightening things up, allowing just 46 points after halftime. 

However, putting your opponent at the foul line and not quite being settled in a new zone defense is a recipe for disaster if it continues against any team. 

Plenty of time exists to improve, and the expectation is they will, but the Suns aren't exactly holding any teams hostage on the scoreboard any time soon. 

International Role Players Could Pay Dividends

Suns fans knew how good Dario Saric could be, but an unfortunate injury put him out of commission during the 2021 NBA Finals and we didn't watch him play for over a year. 

Questions surrounded his ability to bounce back from serious knee injuries and surgery, and with Crowder on the way out, you could feel a sense of pressure on Saric to continue the impressive play he displayed before the ACL tear. 

Saric made his preseason debut on Wednesday and showed Phoenix he was ready to contribute right here, right now with 12 points and 4 rebounds. 

Also, Jock Landale might be one of the more underrated moves of the offseason. 

Landale, more than any box score could measure, has displayed a hustle and want to go after the ball for his teammates that will undoubtedly earn him playing time. 

It's already earned him high marks from guys such as Devin Booker. 

If he can keep his scoring at a steady pace (12/16 points in the preseason thus far), there's no reason to think Landale can't become a legitimate part of the rotation after being afterthoughts in San Antonio and Atlanta. 

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