At this point, everyone in the know knows Brook Lopez and the unique set of skills he brings to both his team, the New Jersey Nets, and the lucky fantasy owners who draft him. There is also another less-known member of the Lopez family who may also be relevant this coming season. Robin Lopez is his name and until recently, sitting on the bench has been his game.
RoLo became a member of the Association last season after being selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns. He spent most of the 2008-09 season buried deep on the Suns’ bench. His PT was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of the Shaquille O’Neal experiment in Phoenix. Plus, the fact that he couldn’t stay on the floor without fouling (5.7 fouls per 36-minutes) didn’t help his cause either.
Now that the Shaqtus is in Cleveland and Terry Porter is well, wherever he currently is, Lopez finds himself in position to at least earn some decent minutes this season (at least improve upon the meager 10.2 minutes per game he averaged in his rookie campaign). With no “true centers” on the Suns roster other than Lopez, Robin should see decent runs based upon matchups.
Who is Lopez competing against for minutes?
First, there’s the slightly undersized-for-the-position Amare Stoudemire. As the alpha male of the Suns big men, it goes without saying that Amare will be on the floor when the game starts (and ends for that matter) at either the four or the five. If Amare ends up manning the four, Lopez has a much better shot of earning enough PT to be fantasy relevant. Lopez has the possibility of either starting or coming off the bench as the first big man.
While the Suns roster is by no means set in stone at this point in the offseason, we can already predict that Lopez will see a much bigger role this season. The loss of Shaq alone should guarantee that. However, the situation is further complicated by the addition of mobile big man Channing Frye to the roster as well as the continued development of Jared Dudley and Lou Amundson. How these three play will play a big factor in determining the extent of Lopez’s fantasy value this coming season.
As of now, the Suns depth chart is poised to look something like this:
PG: Steve Nash, Goran Dragic
SG: Jason Richardson, Leandro Barbosa, Alando Tucker
SF: Grant Hill, Earl Clark, Sasha Pavlovic
PF: Amar’e Stoudemire, Jared Dudley, Louis Amundson
C: Robin Lopez, Channing Frye
As mentioned earlier, Amare could be moved back to his unnatural position of center. If this is the case, then expect Lopez to be the first big off the bench to spell Amare, with Frye most likely starting at the four. In this scenario, Stoudemire and Frye could play the four and five interchangebly with both players preferring to shoot (and attack the rim in Amare’s case) instead of playing with their back to the basket.
However, what if the Suns decide to keep Amare in his Shaq-era position of power forward would open up the opportunity to have a true center (term used loosely here) in Lopez starting at the five. The other possibility to consider is that Lopez and Frye could both end up starting a decent number of games based upon matchups.
So let’s assume Lopez does indeed get more minutes. What kind of production could we expect?
Lopez’s per-36 minute numbers from last season were 11.1 points on .518/.691 percent shooting, 6.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.6 steals, 2.4 blocks, and 1.6 turnovers. So going into his second year where he could actually improve (at least a little bit) with increased playing time and confidence, Lopez becomes a potential third or fourth center for a fantasy team. His value lies with his rebounding to a certain degree and shot blocking ability to a large degree; his offensive game just isn’t there yet.
After watching Lopez battle in Las Vegas Summer League, he looks poised to make a definite impact on the defensive end (insert disclaimer about basing opinions on summer league play here). He was trying to reject every shot he could and did a solid job of making his presence known on the boards (even had a beastly 24 point, 16 rebound, 2 block game). On a side note, his summer league averages were remarkably similar to his per-36 minute stats from his rookie season. Remarkably similar.
If he is given starter status, and more importantly, minutes, expect Lopez to provide for those in need of a boost in rebounds and blocks with a respectable field goal percentage.
The Suns brought in Channing Frye as their lone unrestricted free agent prize this off-season (Grant Hill and Steve Nash also were re-signed as restricted free agents). Frye brings a well-rounded set of skills to the team as well as a high basketball IQ. He is a great mid-range shooter, capable defender against quicker big men and an underrated passer. He is quick on his feet and comfortable with the run-and-gun system the Suns will be getting back to this season under Alvin Gentry.
Frye can play either the four or the five but is much better suited to play the four. He will most likely have a career year with the Suns next season, earning ample playing time, somewhere in the 25-27 minute per game range. He will earn his keep off Nash pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop opportunities, just like Amare has done in years past. Amare and Frye are similar style players and could be a potent force together on the floor.
It will be up to Gentry to decide if he wants to emphasize defense early on and start Lopez or to go with the option of putting the most offensive firepower possible on the floor early on by starting both Frye and Stoudemire. It could change night-to-night with Lopez starting when the Suns play against bigger centers like Dwight Howard, Shaq or Kendrick Perkins.
As with Lopez, Frye’s playing time could hinge on the production of Jared The Junkyard Dog Dudley and Lou Sweet N’Lou Amundson. Yeah, those are both real nicknames. Both are pure hustle players who work hard on both ends of the floor on every possession. Dudley is more of a complete package who does all of the little things that role players should do. He has the shooting touch to go along with the defensive heart and ability.
Amundson is more of a defensive role player and rebounding specialist. He’s a lunch pail guy that every team needs. Plus, he is an absolute fan favorite in the Valley of the Suns. Both of these young players could end up earning minutes and cutting into both Lopez’s and Frye’s playing time. The extent to which this occurs is not known at least until training camp begins and we start to get a clearer picture of the new pecking order. Neither will be fantasy commodities except for in the deep leagues.
The Suns front court position battle is certainly one to keep an eye on this fall in training camp.
No matter how the rotation shakes out in the next few weeks, the Suns will have new-found depth in the front court. No matter what shakes out, one thing’s for certain: this team will be very different from the Seven Seconds or Shaq model of last year.
