When looking at the Phoenix Suns roster you would think their starting lineup is pretty obvious for the most part. Tyson Chandler, Markieff Morris, Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe are all clear starters and P.J. Tucker looked likely to start at small forward. Tucker starting is not a guarantee though as the Suns are reportedly still considering giving the starting small forward spot to second year man T.J. Warren, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
This battle for the fifth starting spot is a classic case of offense (Warren) versus defense (Tucker.) Typically when it comes down to a battle between offense and defense, defense usually wins out especially for a starting spot on the wing but this battle could be an interesting one as Warren has been working on his defense and head coach Jeff Hornacek has noticed improvement. Hornacek had Warren guard Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz during the Suns preseason game a week ago and thought he did a nice job.
"I thought T.J. battled. It was good for him to go up against a guy like Gordon because you play against a guy like that, it's going to help him against anybody else," said Hornacek.
If Warren can close the gap between he and Tucker on the defensive end there is a realistic possibility he earns a starting spot. Tucker is one of the best wing defenders in the league but Warren was drafted 14th overall in 2014 and the Suns have high hopes for him. Warren is already a very good scorer and he can do so in a variety of different ways which is where Tucker isn't the best.
Aside from the defense, another area where it would benefit Warren to improve is from the three point line. Tucker is a career 36 percent three point shooter while Warren only shot 21 of them last season and made just five (24 percent.) With Bledsoe always getting in the lane it is important for the Suns to have shooters on the floor and as of right now Tucker is the better shooter.
Warren has a very good mid-range jump shot, which is where he is at his best, but small forwards in the NBA need to be able to knock down threes. As a rookie Warren played in 40 games and averaged 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game while making 53 percent of his field goal attempts. The 22 year old certainly looks to have a bright future in the NBA and he will likely even play a big role this season but it seems that the likelihood is that he comes off the bench at least in the beginning of the season as Tucker is the better option in two key areas.
