›

NBA Daily: Look back at Phoenix's unlikely playoff run | Basketball initiates

Edit

NBA Daily: Look back at Phoenix’s unlikely playoff run | Basketball initiates

–

It’s 2019. The NBA season had just ended, and with it, the Phoenix Suns extended their playoff drought to nine seasons. There were a few reasons to be hopeful during those years, but the team had just fired their fifth head coach in nine years. From Alvin Gentry to Igor Kokoskov, the Suns just couldn’t figure out the answer to their head coach’s conundrum. And then came Monty Williams.

With the Suns knocking out defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and now sweeping aside the MVP-led Denver Nuggets, it’s a good time to think about how Phoenix got here. Like the Nuggets and another Western playoff contender, the Utah Jazz, the Suns have built themselves primarily through smart selection and excellent free agent decisions. Let’s take a closer look at how the Suns came to be.

Outline of developments

Of the team’s six top scorers, four were drafted by Phoenix. Devin Booker is the Suns’ most notable conscript on board. Originally Kentucky’s 13th overall unsuspecting pick, Booker quickly became one of the NBA’s deadliest players. Booker was the only bright spot for many Phoenix teams, especially on a streak in which the team took Josh Jackson and Dragan Bender in the top five of their respective draft classes.

Even though he was drafted in 2015, Booker is younger than players like Mikal Bridges, who was drafted in 2018. These seasons of experience and determination are finally paying off for Booker, the face of the franchise. In his first playoff performance, Booker averaged 27.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field and 39.6% from depth.

Other than the obvious, the Suns got some great contributions from their other draft picks. While DeAndre Ayton may not be Luka Doncic, whom the Suns have ignored, Ayton doesn’t make Phoenix regret his decision. Ayton is averaging 15.6 points and 11 rebounds per game in the playoffs while connecting at an exceptional rate of 72.9% from the field. Ayton is tied for third on the team in playoff defensive odds while leading the team by a good margin in offensive odds.

It’s because of Ayton’s hard work ethic that the Suns are as good as they are. In fact, when Ayton is Jokic’s main defender, the MVP has just 40 points with 39.1% shots on the ground and 20% depth with four turnovers. It’s hard to stop someone as commonly offensive as Jokic, but Ayton is the closest thing to a brick wall Jokic has seen in this playoff.

Mikal Bridges should have been more in the conversation about the most improved player than him, as he has made a remarkable leap this season after being taken alongside Ayton in the 2018 draft. Bridges has become a three-level scorer. in his third season, averaging 13.5 points on a 54.3 / 42.5 / 84 shooting line.

The other recent Phoenix rookie making a splash is Cameron Johnson, who looked like a huge litter at the time of the 2019 draft. But Johnson and Phoenix have the final say, as Johnson has been able to be hooked up anywhere from both to. four. Johnson’s production declined a bit in the playoffs as the rotation got shorter, but he’s still a consistent three-point shooter as advertised. Over the course of his career, Johnson averages 5.2 three-point attempts per game and connects on 36.7% of them.

Trades

There’s no denying Chris Paul’s phenomenal abilities, but what he does for Phoenix is ​​from another world. In Game 2 against the Nuggets, Paul became the first player in NBA history to have three performances of 15 assists and 0 playoff turnover. What’s even crazier is that this brand was established in three different decades, in 2008 with the New Orleans Hornets, in 2014 with the Los Angeles Clippers and now, in 2021, with the Suns.

In exchange for Paul and Abdel Nader, the Suns sent Oklahoma City Thunder Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick. That’s what it cost for a probable appearance in the final of the Western Conference.

For another illustration of Paul’s effect on teams, take a look at the change in win percentage for teams before and after he arrived. The New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets went from 18-64 (21.9 winning percentage) in 2004-05 to 38-44 (46.3%) in their first season. The Clippers went from 32-50 (39%) to 40-26 (60.6%). The Houston Rockets went from 55-27 (67.1%) to 65-17 (79.3%). The Oklahoma City Thunder went from 49-33 (59.8%) to 44-28 (61.1%) and the Suns from 34-39 (47.2) to 51-21 (70.8). Are you starting to notice a trend?

Paul’s average change in winning percentage in his first season with a team is over 16.8%, an absolutely absurd number. If you take out this season with the Thunder, that change in winning percentages jumps to over 20.7%. However, this season with the Thunder could be Paul’s most impressive campaign. Either way, it’s clear to see how much Paul affects the victory.

While Paul’s trade was obviously phenomenal, the Suns got solid value from low-end trades. For starters, Phoenix got Torrey Craig from the Milwaukee Bucks on the trade deadline for pennies on the dollar. Craig, as detailed here, gave the Suns a defensive punch off the bench.

Craig is the quintessential three-and-D wing, averaging 7.2 points on 36.9% of threeshots with Phoenix. In the playoffs, Craig became the bench unit’s defensive specialist, usually playing alongside Cameron Payne and Johnson. While Craig isn’t someone to fill out the stat sheet, getting an energetic playoff contributor for money is an automatic victory.

Another bright spot in Phoenix trading is Jevon Carter, arriving in the squad during the 2019 offseason. The Suns left with former first pick Josh Jackson, alongside De’Anthony Melton, in the trade but recovered. Carter. While Carter hasn’t played a big role in the rotation this season, he was one of the main reasons the team went 8-0 in the NBA bubble last season.

Free agency

The best teams in NBA history are playing the free agent market well and filling their rotations with complimentary pieces to propel their teams to the next level. The Phoenix Suns epitomize that with just two key moves that have been some of the best in recent memory.

For starters, the Suns signed Jae Crowder in the shortened offseason following his 2020 final with the Miami HEAT. Phoenix got Crowder at an insanely low price of $ 9.3 million for this season and he’s living up to that deal. Crowder isn’t the type to score 20 points per game or be a great shooter, but he’s the perfect glue guy. The striker adapts so well to any competitor due to his excellent defensive skills and new and improved ability to knock the ball down three-way.

In fact, Crowder is the perfect player to keep on the wings. He is capable of being a complete dog in defense, fighting well against names like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then on offense, Crowder can usually rest in the corner or circle the arc, pick up a pass from the main guard, and shoot him down. 25.5% of Crowder’s three-point attempts come from the corner and he hits them 40.2%.

However, Crowder isn’t the Suns’ most impressive free agent addition. Once an afterthought, Cameron Payne has become the ultimate role player and playoff hero for Phoenix. Named Luke Walton All-Star by ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Payne believed his career was over in 2020 after the Dallas Mavericks opted to sign Trey Burke before the bubble on him.

“That’s why you can’t take anything for granted in the NBA,” Payne told Lowe. “Enjoy the little things. They can go away quickly.

It’s clear Payne took his own words to heart, as he ultimately helped elevate Phoenix above the defending champions. In the playoffs, Payne is not only averaging 10.9 points per game with 41.2% of three shots, but he’s also done the always important job of keeping the fort without Paul on the ground.

In the regular season, Payne quickly gained the trust of the coaching staff and finished with a net score of plus-10 per 100 possessions. Moves like Payne’s signing are what make good teams great. Finding rough diamonds is a legitimate skill and clearly it pays dividends for the Suns.

.

Source link

Iklan Bawah Artikel