The Phoenix Suns are in the midst of a stretch of winnable games, and yet, Monty Williams has been tinkering a lot with the lineup, rotation, and overall substitution pattern.
Stability. It is often the centerpiece to many NBA teams’ success and has been one of the many essentials lacking within the Phoenix Suns for the past decade. Whether it is the head coaching carousel, the uncanny roster turnover, or whatever has been going on at the General Manager position, the Suns have been in a constant state of flux.
And that is just at the macro level.
Now that the Suns have seemingly landed on a head coach they plan on keeping for longer than a year, and a GM that might also stick around, it is time to focus on the stability at a lower altitude.
Specifically, the rotation.
I fully realize and appreciate that much of the forthcoming criticism is unfair. Monty Williams has been presented a smorgasbord of bad options and been told to make Michelin star meal. With no Deandre Ayton much of the year, a potpourri of injuries, and the lack of anyone seizing the backup point guard role, the Suns’ first year head coach has been trying to make a plate at the Golden Corral while a handful of the buffet dishes aren’t even available.
Having gotten all those caveats and poor food analogies out of the way, I can’t help but ask myself, “What is the world has Monty been doing with the lineup and rotation?”
Sure, experiment some. Try to find the right combination that will win you the most games.
(The answer to that, by the way, is Rubio-Booker-Oubre-Bridges-Ayton)
I’m not saying pick a road and stick to it no matter what. Flexibility is key to any good coach. But there is a difference between flexibility and flat out erraticness.
And lately, I’ve witnessed what I would call closer to the latter. A deeper dive: