The undeniable bright spot for the Phoenix Suns in their loss to the Dallas Mavericks was the play of Robin Lopez. The 22-year-old center had 13 points and 13 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play, to go along with two blocks and very active defense.
↵If the Suns can get that kind of consistent production from Lopez, they will be a much better team. But what does it take to see him play consistently well?
↵"Steve (Nash) took me in earlier and told me to make sure I'm having fun out there and not to get too down on myself or anything," Lopez said. Nash explained that this was a happy team and he needed to be happy.
↵Robin agreed that was a key to him playing well on a regular basis.
↵"I think if I can tap into that mentality, it just takes a lot of weight off my shoulders, I think."
↵Asked if he played better angry or happy, he said either was fine, but he can't play well when he's not bringing any emotion or passion to the game. He can't be in the middle.
↵Robin's teammates certainly recognize the need for him to play well.
↵"If there's any good that came out of tonight, I think it's Robin's play. Hopefully, it will be a confidence booster for him moving forward," Grant Hill said.