Phoenix Suns: The Pros And Cons Of A Twin Towers Lineup

Defensive Pros And Cons

The strongest case that can be made for a Twin Towers lineup is on the defensive end of the floor, especially after last year, when fans had to endure triple point guard lineups that blitzed opponents on offense but couldn’t close out defensive stops with a rebound late in games.

On that front, having Len and Chandler in the paint would obviously be a step up from lineups sporting three point guards, an underwhelming rebounder in Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker.

Chandler averaged 11.5 rebounds per game last season, the fifth most in the NBA. That’s where his true value comes. At age 32, his athleticism is waning a bit, so even though he still averaged 1.2 blocks per game, his use down low comes from challenging shots and collecting the rebounds off of misses.

In terms of rim protection, opponents would have a hard time in the paint with those two guys back there. Though Len has been foul-prone early in his career, Chandler was somewhat similar in that regard through his first two seasons, and even if Len gets in foul trouble, the Suns will still have one center out there capable of protecting the rim.

Heading into his third season, Len has the length and anticipation to make good use of Chandler’s savvy knowledge and turn it all into another top shot-blocking season. Len finished in the top 20 in the league in blocks last season despite only playing 1,518 minutes on the season. His top-5 block percentage is a testament to the rim protection he brings when he actually stays on the floor.

However, that’s not to say the Twin Towers would solve all the Suns’ problems on the defensive end either. In fact, in this current small-ball era, the prospect of Len or Chandler having to come out on the perimeter and defend smaller, quicker players is daunting, and it’d undoubtedly lead to plenty of defensive breakdowns.

Try that on Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors, for example, and Phoenix’s defense will be left trying to recover from some nasty perimeter mismatches, assuming they haven’t already given up an open three. You’ll notice that Hornacek mentions the situations where the two can play together will be when the Suns are playing a team that “doesn’t have a stretch-4.”

To that end, the defensive viability of a Twin Towers lineup will really depend on whether or not the Suns are playing teams with two traditional bigs who can’t spread the floor.

Next: Finding The Right Balance