Three stats that prove the Phoenix Suns are for real

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Kelly Oubr Phoenix Suns (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Phoenix Suns are both scoring – and playing defense

Through four games, the Phoenix Suns are 11th in the NBA in points per game at 114.0, and a mind-blowing 10th in the NBA in points allowed, 105.3.

Moreover, even with two losses, the team is second in the league in point differential at +35 (tied with the Toronto Raptors), behind only the Los Angeles Clippers who are at +36.

Consider the difference between the last two seasons and this one.

In 2018-19, the Suns scored 107.5 points per game (23rd in the league), and allowed 116.8, third worst (an average point differential of -9.3 per game).

In 2017-18, the team was 21st in the league in scoring at 103.9 and last in the NBA by allowing 113.3 (through four games that would put them at 21st in the league this season).

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Not only is this team scoring points again (finally!), but they are also playing decent defense – consider that there are four teams so far who are allowing at least 120 points per game to their opponents, and that the New Orleans Pelicans are a league-worst, allowing 128.3).

And the Suns are doing it too without nearly as much offensive production out of Devin Booker that they are used to (something that is presumably going to increase as the season goes along, and likely to positive results).

While we definitely need more than four games to truly define what this team is (we’ll be able to check this again at the quarter mark of the season in December), there is no arguing that they are off to a really good start.

Phoenix has already defeated one Championship contender in the Los Angeles Clippers, and lost by a total of two points to two other Championship contenders, the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.

While the victory over L.A. could potentially be argued as a defeat of a team not totally put together yet (particularly with the continued integration of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George‘s absence), the one-point losses to both the Jazz and Nuggets came against teams that are very much settled, with the cores of each roster having been put together for several years now already.

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