Phoenix Suns look to usher in new era with a win over Chicago

A new dawn begins today.

Okay, so maybe that’s a little too dramatic, but following the Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, some new faces are getting set to join the team, with hopes of ushering in a new era:

An era where a pair of former Kentucky Wildcats lead the way.

An era where there’s no reason to root for the Lakers to win… ever.

An era where playoff aspirations have been put on hold in favor of the long-term goal.

An era where the only way to see a dragon is to watch Game of Thrones.

An era where “IT” is called if there’s computer trouble, and not if you “need a bucket.”

Like it or not, a new era begins today.

As the Suns head to Chicago to take on the Bulls, the trio of Brandon Knight, Marcus Thornton and Earl Barron is set to join the team, and it should be fascinating to see how Knight and Thornton, in particular, fit with the Suns, especially given that the season is already nearly three-fourths of the way done.

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Knight (technically) comes into this game as the Suns’ leader in points per game, although he’s scored exactly 0 points while in a Suns’ uniform this year. On the season, Knight is averaging 17.8 points per contest, while shooting over 40% from three and 88% from the line, in addition to posting a combined 9.7 rebounds and assists per game. Oh, and he’s also had his fair share of highlights, although I should add that it’ll be nice to see this count as a two-point basket in favor of the Suns in the future, rather than counting for the other team.

Thornton, on the other hand, has had less overall production, but he’s been locked in from three-point range. Thornton is hitting on nearly 42% of his threes this season, but prior to getting traded, he had made 15 of his last 27 three-point attempts, which rounds out to 56%. Like Knight, Thornton is shooting in the 80-90% range from the free throw line in the 2014-15 campaign, and since the New Year began, he’s knocked down a fantastic 86.21% of his foul shots. It’s definitely no secret that Thornton’s primary usage is as a shooter, which explains this tweet pretty well:

He wasn’t entirely wrong…

Now, to this point, it’s still unclear what type of role the two guards will have in the Suns’ battle with the Bulls, but one thing is for sure:

This isn’t your grandparents’ Phoenix Suns team. And it really isn’t your parents’ team either. And honestly, it’s not even your slightly older sibling’s… you get the point.

Breaking down the opponent:

 Chicago has been one of the more solid teams in the NBA this year. The Bulls currently sit at third in the East, although they’re about to be passed by the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers, who are just a half-game behind. The Bulls are tied for second in the NBA in fewest points per shot allowed, and they’re sixth in the NBA in allowed three-point percentage, while sitting at eighth in field goal percentage defense. Additionally, the Bulls have been one of the NBA’s most dominant road teams, as one of just four franchises that have won more than 65% of their contests away from home.

While all of that is quite positive, there is somewhat of a question as to why the Bulls aren’t better this year. The fact of the matter is that the Bulls currently sit at 11th in average point differential, and a big part of that has been the inconsistency of their best player, former Memphis (the college, not the Grizzlies) superstar Derrick Rose. In Rose’s six worst scoring games this year, he’s combined for just 40 points (6.67 ppg), but in his best six outings, he’s scored a total of 181 points (30.17 ppg). Additionally, Rose has had 12 games with seven or more assists, but he’s also had nine games with two or fewer dimes, and perhaps most startlingly, he’s played at least 25 minutes in all nine of this games and at least 35 minutes in three of them. Oh, and Rose also had as many turnovers in one outing this year (11) as the entire Charlotte Hornets team averages per game.

Simply put, as Rose goes, so do the Bulls. The point guard is remarkably better in every single category (except for rebounds per game) in wins versus losses, and should (key word: should) he play well, the Bulls will be very difficult to beat.

What’s at stake for the Suns:

After losing to the Timberwolves, the Suns are inching closer and closer to must-win territory. While losing this game wouldn’t technically eliminate the Suns from the playoffs, it would be a be a fairly significant setback, especially if the Oklahoma City Thunder win against the Charlotte Hornets, which seems quite likely. Basically, for the Suns to even have a shot at making the playoffs, they have to keep pace with the teams ahead of them, and a loss to the Bulls would be a major step backward, as far as that goal is concerned.

It is important to clarify, however, that making the playoffs this season is not the true goal of this team. While I think we can all agree that it would be fun to get to watch the Suns play playoff basketball, or even meaningful basketball in the last few weeks of the season as was the case on year ago, it’s important to acknowledge that the Suns’ front office has finally put a young core of players into place, in order to build for the future. Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, T.J. Warren, Markieff Morris and Alex Len are all between the ages of 20-26, and the ultimate goal (key word: goal) is to have a title-window open up for this team three or four years down the road. Overall, it’s just important to keep that in mind when judging what’s at stake.

Key statistic: 

34-of-87: In the Suns’ last five losses, P.J. Tucker and Gerald Green have combined to shoot just 34-of-87 (39.08%) from the floor, while making just 30.77% (12-of-39) of their three-point attempts. However, in victories this year, the two have combined to shoot 45.78% from the field and 36.30% from three-point range. While those two numbers (in wins) aren’t particularly mind-blowing, they do show that the team is better when Tucker and Green are providing at least some semblance of effective offense. That six-percent difference in shooting percentage between wins and recent losses is especially worth noting, given that the Suns have already lost four games at the buzzer this year, with 20 of their 55 games (36.36%) being decided by five or fewer points in either direction.

Prediction:

The Bulls actually have a better record on the road than at home this year, despite leading the NBA in averages fans per home game, and the Suns take advantage of that. Phoenix goes into the fourth period with a six-point advantage, but down the stretch, the team has no answer for the trio of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol, who combine for 65 points in the game. The Bulls go on to win by a fairly comfortable margin, although with that being said, it would not surprise me at all if the Suns played really well together in their first game as a new unit. From time to time you see a team with new acquisitions play strong together and bond in a way that shouldn’t really happen until later in the season, but regardless, I still think the Bulls have to be considered the favorite in this one.

Chicago Bulls 99, Phoenix Suns 91

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