Why The Phoenix Suns Will Win It All AND Why They Won’t
This is part of an eight part series examining the NBA’s top title contenders. Competition is tough this year as the West has five real threats and the East has three. Out West the Jazz, Suns, Nuggets, Clippers, and Lakers. In the East the 76ers, Nets, and Bucks.
Why They Will
Chris Paul coming to town to be paired with young star Devin Booker is exactly what has turned Phoenix into a title contender rather than just a playoff contender. Paul at the age of of 35 can still play as he’s putting up 16.4 ppg on 49.9% shooting overall and 39.5% from three while dishing out 8.9 assists and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game. Devin Booker is having another strong year averaging 25.6 ppg, 4.3 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. The Suns are 6th in points per 100 possessions offensively at 117.7 and are 6th in points per 100 defensively at 111.4. They also boast the 4th highest offensive effective field goal percentage at 56.8% and are pretty good in this area defensively ranking 11th at 53.8%.
Ranking 4th in offensive turnover percentage at 12.7% makes this offense even scarier because they are efficient and careful with the ball. In three point attempt rate they rank 15th but are 7th in team three point percentage at 37.8%. They also have the second highest two pointer percentage at 56.3%. Their defense is also getting opponent offensive rebounds at the 9th best rate of 24.6% which helps get a great offense more opportunities.
Why They Won’t
While their defense ranks 11th in points per 100 they do have an area they can be exploited and that’s inside the arc. They rank 22nd in opponent field goal percentage at the rim and on short mid shots, 17th on long mid- range and all mid-range shots. The Suns are also bad against corner threes, allowing opponents to shoot 41.7% ranking 23rd. The Suns truly do have a great team but if their opponent can bully them inside the arc and make a good amount of corner threes this Suns team could be in trouble. They also haven’t played in a playoff series yet and it remains to be seen how they ‘ll do in a seven game series against another strong team. The West is tough and offers multiple challenges for any team trying to make it out, and this team has the least postseason experience.
All stats are from Cleaning the Glass and Basketball Reference
https://cleaningtheglass.com https://www.basketball-reference.com
