‘Anything is possible at this point’: Jackson on Suns at trade deadline

Josh Jackson isn’t scared of change. Certainly, during his two years in the league, he’s seen a lot of it. Only Devin Booker, Dragan Bender and T.J. Warren are still on the roster from when Jackson was drafted in June 2017. Heading toward the Feb. 7 trade deadline, Jackson knows the Suns have disappointed and bigger changes could be on the way.

In his latest diary entry at The Undefeated, Jackson says,

“I think anything is possible at this point just because of the record. I don’t think anyone would say that anything over here is going good, so any player on this team could be moved. You never know. It’s a business.”

The team has lately been more locked in together than at the beginning of the year, Jackson writes, especially since the players only meeting that followed a 37-point loss to Denver on Jan. 25:

“Guys were more open to saying what they thought and how they felt. It’s because most of us haven’t been around each other that long and don’t know each other that well. So just being able to have that open relationship where you can talk and say how you feel and what you think, knowing that each guy is all here for a common goal, I feel like we all got a lot closer.”

It may seem counter-intuitive, but adversity is a salve for pent-up frustration for all of us. Jackson and the Suns were incredibly frustrated with the officiating, with one another and with their under performance heading into the road trip featuring that Denver game. Since then, Jackson writes the team has been more communicative and understanding with one another, building better chemistry and getting comfortable.

While Jackson missed out on representing the American team in the Rising Stars Challenge this winter, the Suns will be able to cheer on Deandre Ayton on the World team. Jackson also believes Devin Booker ought to be named an All-Star reserve because of his consistency.

“I see a lot of players come in that can score, here and there,” Jackson writes. “But he does it on a consistent enough basis to where it should be brought to a lot of people’s attention that this kid is really special, and that he can play.”