Bradley Beal and Nurkic were benched for the Jan. 6 game at Philadelphia. Nurkic played that game and the next against Charlotte in the second of a road back-to-back, but Suns coach Mike Budenholzer didn't play him the next two games against Atlanta and Utah.

There was some belief Richards the Suns just snagged their new starting center, and Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro says Richards will indeed be inserted into the lineup when ready. ESPN's Shams Charania also is reporting the same thing.

Suns center Nick Richards scored 21 points off the bench in his on-court debut as Phoenix picked up a 125-121 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

It was quite the spectacle when Nick Richards made his Phoenix Suns debut on Saturday. The former Charlotte Hornets big man excelled off the bench and posted 21 points, 11 rebounds, and one steal in Phoenix’s 125-121 win over the Detroit Pistons.