3 reasons why the Phoenix Suns should sign Carmelo Anthony

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Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Reason #1: The Suns need three-point shooters! Carmelo Anthony is a knockdown three-point shooter!

In a league becoming increasingly aware of what constitutes a good shot, the Suns defied the math last season by thriving in the midrange area. Only the Chicago Bulls attempted more mid-range shots than the Suns did last season. It is a work of art to see Chris Paul and Devin Booker manipulate opposing defenses off the pick-and-roll to get to their sweet spots in the midrange.

However, going against the grain is not necessarily going to lead to long-term success. It makes no sense from a mathematical standpoint to continue to take midrange shots instead of prioritizing layups and 3s.

It looks like the math is finally catching up to the Suns offense. The Suns are tied for 4th worst in points per possession when the ball-handler shoots out of the pick-and-roll (that will almost always be Paul or Booker taking those shots).

There is no way Paul and Booker are the fourth-worst scoring backcourt in the NBA. The problem is that opposing defenses are beginning to send all their help defenders to pack the paint. Paul and Booker have no choice but to either thread the needle to Ayton rolling to the basket or to exhaust themselves dribbling in circles until they get an open midrange look.

Neither are conducive to long-term success on offense. Additionally, the Suns offense has some additional concerns they need to immediately address, as evidenced by their offensive rankings after just two games:

16th in three-point shooting percentage
21st in effective field goal percentage (an adjusted version of field goal percentage which takes a team’s overall three-point shooting percentage into consideration)
22nd in free-throw rate
24th in offensive rating
29th in three-point attempts per game and pace of play

The Suns are NBA Championship contenders! These offensive rankings more resemble teams who are destined for the NBA Draft lottery. The Suns are headed for another early postseason exit if they cannot right the ship on offense.

Who do the Suns need to call to save their offense? Carmelo Anthony! Here are 149 examples of what Anthony can bring to the Suns offense this season.

Anthony’s three-point shooting speaks for itself. Defenses are going to be punished for packing the paint when Anthony is in the game.

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