Phoenix Suns Early Dud: Abdel Nader
Monty Williams illustrated his profound trust in Abdel Nader last year, throwing him into the playoff rotation during a few games even though he barely played for the team beforehand. But with Nader’s recent play, that all might dissipate sooner rather than later.
Even during his 24 games last season, Nader shot 41.9 percent from long range, making him a dark horse candidate to help the Suns this year as another sniper next to Landry Shamet. But to start things out, he finds himself shooting only 1-5 on triples.
A few times each game, Nader also drives with force toward the rim, but then does nothing once arriving. He looks like a lost dog, which feels alien to Phoenix’s clean offensive system.
Nader has also digressed at the defensive end. Although the Suns never leaned on him there last year, he often came through with bursts of energy, frequently exhausting opposing players along the wing with his hustle.
But right now, Nader looks a step behind with his defense. The aggressiveness appears evident, but he occasionally bites at the wrong times, falls outside position, and leaves his team off balance.
This judgement for Nader stems from an even smaller sample size than everyone else mentioned beforehand, with both Bridges and Crowder playing significantly more minutes than him each night this season. With that considered, he can turn things around faster than anyone. But at this point, he nonetheless strikes as a detriment to the team.