5-on-5: Can the Suns sneak into the playoffs?
5. Do the Suns have a way to slow down Anthony Davis, with or without Alex Len on Thursday?
Bourguet: Absolutely, the time for unleashing Earl Barron is now! But seriously, does anyone in the NBA have a way of slowing down Anthony Davis these days? The dude almost dropped a quadruple-double against the Denver Nuggets the other night. The key, as the Nuggets showed us in their double-OT win over the Pellies, will be limiting everyone else. The beast is going to get his, but a superior team effort (usually) trumps one player.
Harris: Not a chance, but I would say that even if Alex Len was on the court, so it isn’t really a criticism on any of the Suns bigs. Anthony Davis is arguably a top-5 NBA player and would be in the MVP conversation if he wasn’t injured earlier in the year. That said, he almost put up a quadruple-double against Denver and of course the Nuggets ended up winning, so for some insane reason I think that Anthony Davis will have an incredible game and the Suns will still wind up winning.
Hann: Davis is averaging 30 points in his last ten games and just put up 43 against the Milwaukee Bucks and their 5th ranked defense. So I answer this question with a resounding NO. The Suns may actually be at a disadvantage if Len plays. The center won’t be at full health and would have to try and protect the rim against Davis with a bum ankle. Defense by committee is likely the only way to even contain Davis (and by that I mean hold him below 30). Phoenix needs to double team Davis EVERY time he touches the ball and make his teammates beat them, they can live with that result.
Saar: It’s going to be rough that’s for sure, but if he goes off, that’s not necessarily a doom and gloom situation. They have been losing even when Anthony Davis posts his crazy stat lines. The key is to limit the ball movement of the Pelicans, including Davis and Tyreke Evans.
Schall: Len’s rim protection provides a strong incentive for Davis to stay outside, but even with the big Ukrainian it’s going to be an uphill battle. Brandon Wright has the quickness and athleticism to stay with Davis and should get the bulk of the assignment on him, particularly if Len is out. To a certain degree Davis is going to get his and it’s about forcing the Pelicans guards to shoot them out of the game.
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