The Offense
T.J. Warren’s offensive potential has never been in doubt. After averaging 24.9 points per game his sophomore season with the Wolfpack, general manager Ryan McDonough was convinced by Warren’s impressive nose for the basket.
Tony Buckets only averaged 6.1 points in 15.4 minutes per game as an NBA rookie, but every time he’s played extended minutes, his knack for putting the ball in the hole has been on full display.
Through the Suns’ first three preseason games, Warren is averaging a team-best 16 points per game on 51.2 percent shooting. He’s also coming off a 21-point performance against the Houston Rockets, scoring 13 of those points in the fourth quarter to help the Suns force overtime after trailing by 17 heading into the final period.
Warren is incredibly efficient around the basket, he naturally moves to the open spaces near the rim and his floater and midrange game show a ton of promise.
More from Suns News
- Ranking the Phoenix Suns’ 5 holiday games in 2023-24
- Zion Williamson gets compared to Phoenix Suns legend
- Suns player preview: Bol Bol can be the perfect role player
- Former Suns’ guard shows he is officially done with Phoenix
- NBA insider guarantees Suns’ rival won’t make blockbuster trade
But as the league progresses further into the pace-and-space era where three-point shooting comes at a premium, what is Warren doing to expand his game?
“I’ve been working on quite a few,” Warren said, acknowledging his efforts to spread the floor as a three-point shooter. “I just want to continue to shoot with confidence and get into more of a routine with it and continue to work on it.”
Head coach Jeff Horancek embraces his players’ skills more so than most new-wave coaches, especially since two of his players — Warren and Markieff Morris — are particularly efficient in the midrange. But even though adding a three-point shot will be the next step in Warren’s development on offense, Tony Buckets said the coaching staff supports his game for what it is.
“Yeah they do, they always tell me to stay aggressive and take what the defense gives me,” he said. “Just stay aggressive and use my strengths on the offensive end.”
In three preseason games, Warren has missed all five of his three-point attempts, with a few of them narrowly rimming out. He missed all four of his three-point attempts in Summer League, and he only made five of his 21 three-point attempts as a rookie.
Phoenix spent the summer addressing its poor three-point shooting, and Warren needs to take open perimeter looks when they’re there. But T.J is on the same page as the Suns in not expecting him to stray too far from his game.
“I just take what the defense gives me,” Warren said. “If it’s an open shot, I’ll take it, just continue to stay aggressive. Obviously on kickout threes, I’ll take it and I’m going to hit those, get into a rhythm and work my way out starting now.”
Next: The Defense