Phoenix Suns Ways to Revamp Devin Booker: Start Him at Point Guard and Move Chris Paul to Shooting Guard
Moving Chris Paul, the Point God himself, to shooting guard? That’s basketball blasphemy! But as crazy as it sounds, Booker taking the place of Paul at the point guard spot will unlock some new avenues for a Suns offense that became stagnant quite often in Game 3.
Holiday has settled in on pressuring CP3, while Tucker has aggressively denied Booker the ball. The Suns need to do something differently to disrupt Milwaukee’s defensive prowess.
Book loading… pic.twitter.com/BOlmYQ0iY1
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 9, 2021
As the point guard, Booker could look to attack immediately with the rock in his hands, quickly putting Tucker in foul trouble. Tucker does not have the foot speed to stay in front of Booker when he attacks downhill.
Holiday is an amazing on-ball defender, but his 6’3 stature does not provide him much rim protection as a help defender. He might also struggle to help defend a cutting Paul following Booker’s drives. The same goes for every other Milwaukee defender.
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— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 7, 2021
Eventually, the Bucks will have to take Tucker off Booker and put either Holiday or Middleton on him. When that happens, it becomes business as usual: Paul takes over the offense while the other Suns set screens for him. Coach Williams can also run one of the plays listed above to get him an open look if the half-court offense runs into a drought.
But yes, making Booker the point guard will be the right move for the Suns offense to start the game. It will immediately get him into a solid offensive rhythm while throwing Milwaukee’s defense completely off-balance. If Booker can get to the free-throw line early and often, that too will be the catalyst to another monster night.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, Devin Booker must make a statement in Game 4. His teammates and his coaches can help him, but he has to be the one to make it happen for the Suns. His performance will likely decide whether or not the Phoenix Suns leave Milwaukee with a 3-1 series lead, or new life with things tied up 2-2.