Unheralded Suns player showed out in first preseason game
10/07/2024 12:19 AM
The Phoenix Suns entered their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers with an X-factor in Damion Lee. Phoenix won the game 118-114 on the back of Lee and other key contributors.
Days before the game though, the Suns and Lee announced his status to return for the first time since the 2022-23 season. As the game started, it went according to the script.
Suns and Lakers starters dominated the first half before taking a rest and not playing the rest of the game. However, the Suns’ bench mob came alive in the final two quarters. They outscored the Lakers 61-45 and had some key contributions from Lee. His two threes were pivotal and swung the momentum in the Suns’ favor.
Although scoring roughly one point per minute was great for Phoenix, being on the floor was just as special for him. Lee dealt with a lingering meniscus injury that kept him out the entire 2023-24 season. As he watched from the sidelines, he patiently awaited his return.
While speaking to the media in training camp, Lee pointed to the ongoing mental battle he faced. As soon as he came back, his teammates even joked about being able to dunk. Regardless, all of the nerves collected ahead of Sunday’s contest. Still, Lee did what Lee has always done with the Suns. Space the floor and shoot a plethora of threes. Not to mention, he encouraged rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro when he was on the floor with them.
Regardless of experimenting with the lineups throughout the preseason, Lee has a chance to keep getting playing time.
How could Damion Lee get more playing time from the Suns in the preseason?
When the Suns’ sharpshooter tore his meniscus, it ended up being worse than initially diagnosed. Even though Lee tore the ligament off of the bone, he had a double root tear, and his surgery was a rare double posterior root repair of his meniscus. As Lee made his recovery, his status was in question for the 2024-25 season.
As he made his way onto the floor, Lee picked up where he left off. He immediately shot and made a three from the left wing and knew it too. His confidence and swagger were evident the entire time he was in the game.
Lee’s raw emotion was on full display for the Suns faithful to witness. Following the game, teammate Bradley Beal crashed Lee’s postgame interview and said “he’s back.” Moments after, he nearly cried and said, “It’s been a journey…I’m not gonna cry yet.” A journey is an understatement for what he endured throughout the recovery process.
For the Suns, they’ll have roughly three weeks before the regular season begins. Although head coach Mike Budenholzer will continue to experiment with lineups, Lee is almost a lock. He played in 74 games in the 2022-23 season and averaged 20.4 minutes per game. Lee also shot a career-high 44.5% from beyond the arc in that year.
Budenholzer’s system emphasizes pace and space, two things that Lee excels at as a shooter. Regardless of Phoenix limiting minutes for rotational pieces, Lee should be a lock for the preseason and beyond. His mix of shooting, spacing, and confidence is what the Suns need moving forward. His minutes could also ramp up every game as they gear him up for their opening night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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