The Suns have undoubtedly been the story of this NBA season. Their exceptional ball movement and offense make them a top contender this year.
Advertisement
The Phoenix Suns have been the story of this season in the NBA. After a promising spell at the bubble last season where despite winning consecutive games they failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Suns have added valuable pieces to their roster to help Devin Booker. The arrival of Chris Paul immediately changed the dynamics of the team.
However, both Booker and CP3 took their time to gel and understand each other tendencies on court. But as the season went on they simply elevated each others level of play.
This resulted in the Suns developing a proper identity for themselves. They had immaculate balance in their roster and they displayed some exceptional ball movement like the prime Golden State Warriors or even the San Antonio Spurs.
The Suns have been remarkable and their assists/turnover ratio in the regular season is a testament to that fact. They have an assists/ turnover ratio of 2.15 which is the highest in the NBA for the last 25 years. By this stat, if people assume that it has been all Chris Paul then they will be doing injustice to the other players who have made this system work for Monty Williams.
The Suns also lead the NBA in assists resulting in buckets (63.8%) by far. While it is true that CP3 and Booker take the charge of initiating things in the offense. The biggest mantra of success for the Suns is that they have two players who can’t be guarded and have exceptional passing range.
So when they see a double coming they look to pass the ball onto a player who is free to take a shot. The Point God’s arrival has also evolved Booker into a more creative player who now looks for options around him mainly when he is doubled. D Book has been nothing short of exceptional in this season.
The Phoenix Suns have developed a proper attacking identity with their exceptional ball movement
The Suns have been exceptional in their ball movement and a crucial part of it is due to their great wing players. The supporting cast of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Jae Crowder have a good sense of spacing and all of them have stood up for the Suns this season. All three of them are great playmakers and therefore they keep moving the ball even if a clear shot is not available.
Lastly, Deandre Ayton’s presence in the center position for the Suns has been pivotal to their success this season. While he is not at par with his teammates in terms of playmaking, he still has improved on the offensive side of things.
He has been very consistent and with 75% shooting, he is helping his guards rack up assists. He has also been very calm in tight situations and has attacked the rim with confidence. These things will help the youngster go a long way as he continues to be the main guy in their defense.
The Suns have been remarkable this season, they have moved the ball exceptionally with great intensity throughout matches. Their offense is currently working like a well oiled machine but there are questions that whether they will be able to keep this up against the Clippers or even the Nets? Whether a young center like Ayton will be able to keep up his consistency in defense against a high profile offensive side? But there can be no questions regarding their identity!
