Jake Goodrick
Nov. 6, 2018
PHOENIX – Jared Dudley is returning to Phoenix as a different player and in a much different role than when he left after he was traded away from the desert during the offseason.
After spending the past two seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Dudley is back for the first time since his departure as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, who are making their only visit of the season to Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Dudley spent a combined seven seasons with the Suns, most recently as a bench player and veteran presence on a young Suns team lacking veteran experience. Now, in the 12th season of his career, Dudley is starting games for the Nets and playing impactful minutes, a far different scenario than the one he left behind in Phoenix.
Dudley’s first stint in Phoenix began in 2008, the first season after the era of coach Mike D’Antoni ended and on the tail end of four consecutive playoff appearances. He emerged as a spark-plug for the Suns, bringing energy, charisma and deft 3-point shooting off the bench during his first two seasons with the team.
“He was a wild card for us back in the day,” said Suns coach Igor Kokoskov, who was a Phoenix assistant at the time. “I don’t know if you remember, 2009-10, coming off the bench, making big 3s and hustle plays and pump out the chest, as a young guy trying to figure it out.”
Kokoskov recounted his admiration for the way Dudley played while the two were together in Phoenix.
A career 39.4 percent career 3-point shooter, Dudley served in a utility role during his prime years with the Suns, alternating between being a starter and a bench-player while maintaining consistent minutes and production in the teams rotation during the twilight years of Steve Nash’s career.
He embarked on a journeyman’s career, spending a year each playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards, before ultimately finding his way back to Phoenix for two more seasons from 2016 to 2018.
As a veteran, Dudley impacted the Suns on the practice court and in the locker room more than he did during games. Still, his guidance left an impression on some of the young Suns, including the franchise cornerstone Devin Booker, who recalled what those formative
NBA years on the Suns with Dudley meant to him.
“A lot, you know, a whole lot,” Booker said. “And not just on the court, but off the court. Jared’s one of those guys that keeps it real, no matter the circumstances.
“He knows the game, he’s been a veteran for a really long time, and there’s good reasons why.”
Despite serving a limited role on the court for the Suns last season, Dudley rejuvenated his career and is back to being an impact player on the court for the Nets. He has started all 10 of Brooklyn’s games this season, and is averaging 24.8 minutes per game, more
than 10 minutes per game more than he averaged in the 2017-18 season with Phoenix.
“He took the game very serious this summer,” Booker said. “We talked a lot. He dropped a lot of weight, changed his whole diet. And it’s grind time for him. So, he’s starting for them, he’s (playing) a really big role for them.”
Dudley’s on-court production is up this season from where it was the past two, but that hasn’t affected his off-court role as the elder statesman of another rebuilding team. He’s the oldest player with the most NBA experience on the Nets, and still knows how to connect with the younger players on the team.
“I’m really close friends with D’Angelo (Russell),” Booker said. “He said ‘I love having Jared on my team.’ And I was like ‘I know, I did too.’
“He didn’t even really play for us, you know, definitely someone I credit a lot of my success to.”
Although it’s a reunion of sorts for Dudley, Kokoskov and Booker, the Suns are focused on building on their last win against Memphis with another victory over Brooklyn.
“Happy for him,” Igor joked dryly about Dudley. “Happy he’s in the league and hopefully he’s going to have a bad game tonight.”