BALL MOVEMENT
The Golden State Warriors lead the NBA in Assists Per Game at 31.0, whereas the Suns are the worst team in the league with 18.6. This is not a coincidence because Phoenix has lacked the ability to create plays for one another and often the offense becomes stagnant and still. Phoenix’s guards should be at the forefront of the blame because they create the offense for the team and begin each of the set plays.
Devin Booker is arguably the best player on the roster. At the age of 20, he is averaging 21.1 points per game on 17.7 field goal attempts. However, Booker is still learning to utilize his teammates to their fullest capabilities and is only averaging 3.2 assists per game, while turning the ball over 2.9 times per outing.
Eric Bledsoe is doing well distributing the ball averaging 6.2 assists per game, the team’s leader. The problem is that Booker is the second leading distributor averaging only 3.2. Even Brandon Knight, who has a career average of 4.2 assists per game, is only averaging 2.4 assist this season because of his limited minutes (and only 4.1 per 36 minutes).
Basketball is a team sport that requires all five players on the floor to pass the ball around and score together. Unfortunately the Phoenix Suns do not have good ball movement. Without it, the team will not improve.