It’s a new (Disney) World experience for the Phoenix Suns as they ramp up for their NBA season re-start inside the bubble in Orlando.
Present life is much different for the players, coaches and staff members as they adjust to their new surroundings both on and off the court.
For Suns head coach Monty Williams, the extended time together has been both refreshing and beneficial as the club prepares for their first of three time-shortened scrimmages Thursday when they face the Utah Jazz.
“We’ve already situations where guys have been, whether it’s been playing spike ball or fishing together, guys are out on boats on the lake,” Williams said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve watched movies – things of that nature…the guys really enjoy their time together. I see it as a plus for us.”
He then stated, outside of the teams who have the greatest chance of winning the title, this time together in Florida could go a long ways in rebuilding what’s been missing, big picture, for this franchise for the past decade.
“We potentially have the most to gain from all of this,” Williams explained. “From the training camp we’ve gone through, more game time together, the improvement the guys have gained from being off and working on their games. So it’s been a blessing for us to be in this environment.”
“We want to take advantage of that by winning.”
Another part of the team bonding has been in the weight room. In normal circumstances, players usually lift individually with trainers. In Orlando, the Suns have been working out as a group due to having far less access inside the bubble.
“We’re doing a lot of circuit training, a lot of group training which has been very fun,” All-Star guard Devin Booker said. “A lot of personality in it. We have the music in there. Everybody is supporting each other. Everybody has the same mindset and same mission and that’s to get better.”
Booker said he and his teammates haven’t been able to interact with any other players or coaches from around the league so the bonding with teammates, he believes, has been beneficial.
“I don’t think during the season we spend this much time this close to each other,” he explained. “This is a really good time for us. Like I said, there’s not a lot going on down here so you’re spending a lot of time with your teammates getting to know them.”
“I think this time is valuable for us to take a step moving forward into whenever the next season starts.”
Phoenix will start their eight-game seeding portion of their schedule on Friday, July 31st against the Washington Wizards.
