TREAT: The Suns are top-10 in both Offensive and Defensive rating
In a statistic fans hope is not a mere small-sample-size skew of reality, the Phoenix Suns rank 7th in the NBA in Offensive Rating and 8th in the league in Defensive Rating.
This is one of those categories where most teams find themselves disproportionately imbalanced to one side or the other. For example, the Houston Rockets lead the league in Offensive Rating, but are the second worst team in the league in defensive rating.
In fact, the Phoenix Suns are the only team in the league to rank in the top 10-top in both Offensive and Defensive Rating. That is truly astounding.
Monty Williams and James Jones will be the first people to tell you this team lacks the talent of traditional NBA powers, but they make up for it with scrappiness, defensive tenacity, and quality, ball-moving offense.
Through the first five games the stats back up this strategy’s success. The question will be if, over a grueling 82-game season, the Valley Boyz can bring that level of energy to the court every night. If so, this season will be the tastiest treat the Phoenix Suns have tasted in a decade.