Too Much Iso-Ball
The thing that makes Phoenix’s high-powered offense so impressive/worrisome is that it’s grounded in players making a lot of individual plays. Ball movement isn’t one of this team’s strengths, as the Suns rank in the league’s bottom third in passes per game and assists per game (according to NBA.com).
As the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks have shown us this year, smart passing and movement off the ball yields great results in the scoring column — particularly from three-point range. According to Grantland’s Kirk Goldsberry, only 52 percent of two-pointers involve an assist but for three-point field goals, that number catapults to 84 percent.
The Suns’ recent dry spell from downtown has dropped them to 12th in the league in three-point percentage, but they’re still eighth in the NBA in catch-and-shoot three-pointers made per game. In other words, the Suns may not create many looks for their teammates, but when they do, they’re usually worth three points instead of two.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t matter much when the shots aren’t falling, as has been the case over the last few weeks. Since the All-Star break, the Suns are shooting just 30.9 percent from beyond the arc, 23rd in the league. Goran Dragic may not have had the ball in his hands much, but since his departure the Suns have struggled moving the ball to find quality looks. And when they have, they’ve just flat out missed them.
Markieff Morris is one of the most underrated individual scorers in the association. Eric Bledsoe is a bully attacking the basket on nights when he’s fully engaged, like that game against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. But for the most part, this team’s lack of ball movement has killed the offense, especially with the double whammy of new players trying to adjust to each other.
Next: Transition Points