On January 19th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season saw the Phoenix Suns take revenge on the Detroit Pistons. The Suns' new 2.13-meter-tall recruit, Richards, made his Suns debut, coming off the bench for 30 minutes, shooting 7 of 8 for 21 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, with a plus-minus of +22, the highest in the game, delivering an impressive performance and helping the Suns secure a victory. Today, the Suns continued with their regular starting lineup, with Plumlee serving as the starting center. Richards, wearing the Suns' No. 2 jersey, came off the bench at 7 minutes and 45 seconds into the first quarter, creating a foul through a pick-and-roll cut and making one of two free throws to score his first point with the Suns. He then continued to battle for rebounds and set screens for his teammates, even rushing into the paint to grab an offensive rebound and assisting Dunn in hitting a three-pointer. In his first quarter on the court for six minutes, he scored 1 point, grabbed 4 rebounds, and had 1 assist. In the second quarter, Richards' offensive performance was outstanding - he scored his first field goal in a Suns uniform with a mid-range cut and layup, followed by a two-handed dunk after battling for an offensive rebound and a strong drive to the basket. Richards scored 10 points in the quarter, shooting 4 of 4; he was very efficient on the court, scoring 11 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench in the first half.…

This season, the Phoenix Suns have been in a state of turmoil. Due to unsatisfactory team performance, the Suns are attempting trades from various angles. On one hand, they hope to get rid of Beal's super contract; on the other hand, they also plan to trade away center Nurkic. However, for the Suns, trading Beal is quite challenging due to the massive amount of his contract and his trade veto power, making it not an easy task to complete the trade. Compared to the past, the Suns' urgent need for a center has reached an unprecedented level. Since Nurkic was benched, the Suns' frontline has become increasingly weak. Plumlee's subpar performance this season has left the Suns' interior virtually non-existent in many games. Taking the recent loss to the Hawks as an example, young Hawks center Okongwu scored 22 points and 21 rebounds, highlighting the Suns' poor frontline performance. On January 16th, Beijing time, the Suns successfully completed a highly anticipated trade. According to Shams, sources revealed that the Hornets sent Richards and a second-round pick to the Suns, in exchange for Okeke and three second-round picks from the Suns. The sources also pointed out that the Suns provided their own 2031 second-round pick, plus two second-round picks from the Nuggets in 2026 and 2031, in return for a 2025 second-round pick. Richards, standing at 2.13 meters tall and weighing 111 kilograms, plays as a center for the team. This season, he played 21 games for the Hornets, averaging 20.9 minutes per game, scoring 8.9 points, grabbing 7.5 rebounds, assisting…

In the intense match against the Hawks, the Suns suffered a disappointing defeat with a score of 117-122. This was already a hard-fought loss that was difficult for the team to accept, but for the Suns' owner, the anger went beyond just the loss on the scoreboard. Behind this, there were four deep-seated problems that weighed heavily on him, making it unbearable. The Weakness of the Frontcourt Exposed, Becoming an Opponent's Breakthrough Point During the game, Durant and Booker shone as the twin stars. Durant had an efficient game with 13 out of 20 shots made, scoring 31 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists; Booker also unleashed his firepower, making 12 out of 23 shots, including 7 out of 14 three-pointers, to score 35 points. However, despite such impressive statistics, they were unable to help the team win. The key issue lay in the Suns' weak frontcourt. Plumlee performed averagely on the court, contributing only 3 points and 5 rebounds, with numerous defensive lapses. This allowed the Hawks' Okongwu to dominate the paint, scoring 20 points and grabbing 20 rebounds for a super double-double. This contrast exposed the Suns' frontcourt weakness, which became the fatal flaw in their loss. The Backcourt Struggles, Bench Players Fall Short The Suns' starting guard Jones shot 3 out of 5 in the game, scoring 8 points and providing 6 assists, which seemed average at first glance. However, when compared to the Hawks' Trae Young, the gap became clear. Trae Young shot 13 out of 30 from the field, including 6 out…