There were bright spots and some glaring holes in the Phoenix Suns’ first-round series victory against the LA Clippers, including some issues that must be fixed for Denver.
Given the eight-game tenure of Kevin Durant with Phoenix heading into the post-season, having an extra game and getting pushed a little by the Los Angeles Clippers was good for the Suns. With five more games under his belt with the squad in high-pressure situations, there is little doubt that KD will be even more comfortable than his smooth 28 points per game in round one against the Nuggets in round two.
KD was, in many ways, a non-story in the first round because he did the job we all expected of him without ever having a real breakout game. The Slim Reaper had his lowest scoring output (25) in the game 2 victory and his series high of 31 twice. One Suns player did have a breakout game or three, and it is our first positive for Phoenix coming from Round 1.
Positive 1: The Suns have a superstar on their hands
Going into the playoffs, we all knew the Suns had at least one superstar, and after round one, we still know the Suns have at least one superstar. However; for some, that superstar may have changed. With his 28 points per game, Durant did nothing to hurt his reputation; however, Devin Booker took a step toward raising his reputation.
Like his play in the first round against a different LA team two seasons ago when Booker led Phoenix to the NBA finals, D-Book took his regular season game to the next level. Averaging just over 37 points per contest against the Clippers while shooting over 60% from the field. To say Booker took his game to the next level would be an understatement.
Booker has seen improvement in every major statistical category from his regular season numbers. His rebounds are up half a rebound per night. His assists are up almost 1 a game going from 5.5 to 6.4, and his steals are up over 1 per contest. Displaying a complete, all-around game on the defensive end while increasing his scoring by nearly 10 points per game is just otherworldly.
While Booker’s ascension into the upper echelons of the NBA elite is a wonderful story and will likely need to be for the Suns to win it all, D-Book was not the only positive to come out for the -1 series win.
Positive 2: Torrey Craig can be a legitimate third scorer for Phoenix
It is not the headline one would have expected coming into the postseason. We at Valley of the Suns figured Torry Craig would be the Suns’ sixth man. Instead, Monty Williams’ faith in Craig’s experience – and emerging offensive game down the stretch of the season – paid off with Craigh having a break-out series.
We must qualify our break-out statement because Craig’s breaking-out differs from Durant’s. However, for a 32-year-old forward, who averaged less than eight points per night to come out in the playoffs, average double figures, and have his highest single-scoring night of the season, 22 points in game one, was certainly unexpected.
Craig came back to earth scoring only 8 points in the series’ final two games but did average 18 through the first three and finished at 12.4 for the series, still more than 5 above his regular season average. Those games and that success will be important for Craig and the Suns as the post-season progresses.
Craigh may not always stay in the starting line-up, but that success from behind the arc will be there with him and should help to make him a legitimate option to spread the floor and provide some scoring when others are not.
Positive 3: The Suns have yet to play their best basketball for 48 minutes
Maybe this is a negative, but ultimately it is positive; the Suns beat the Clippers without playing their best basketball, and certainly not for 48 minutes. In the third quarter of game five, where Booker was on fire, the team scored 50, and they held the Clippers to 24 points. However, that was one quarter, and the Suns have played 20 in the playoffs thus far.
What makes this a positive is that Booker has missed much of the season, so his tank is still plenty full, and as noted at the start of the article, Durant has only been with the team for a cup of coffee. The Suns are a team that is growing and improving because they have room to grow and improve, which should scare other teams. Things are not all roses and sunshine at the Footprint Center.
3 Negatives for the Suns to address following the Clippers series
Phoenix won the series and advanced in just 5 games, the same as Denver. Thus no one got an advantage. Likewise, Booker was awesome, and Durant is just getting started, so things are looking up. However, holes in the Suns’ proverbial armor were obvious in the series against an under-manned Clippers team, which better teams could further exploit.
Negative 1: The Suns are very top heavy
With Durant and Booker, the Suns have two legitimate superstars, and no other team can boast that in the playoffs right now. However, if a team wants to play, let the stars shine, and see what happens, the approach could work.
While Craig made a splash with his scoring in three games, he was able to make a splash because the Suns have lacked a consistent third scorer for most of the season. Coming into the season, Chris Paul would have been expected to pick up some of this role, but he seems to be struggling for consistency.
Likewise, Deandre Ayton is on a max contract, and while he did average a double-double in the first round and was the third-leading scorer at 16 points, it was just 16 points. Despite getting more than 13 shots per night, Ayton was inconsistent in his production, scoring over 20 only in game five with 21. There were signs from Ayton at times, but like Paul, there was no consistency.
Without a consistent or reliable third scorer, teams could use junk defenses to force other players to make plays, leading to negative number two.
Negative 2: The bench was a flop for Phoenix
Maybe the bench was set up to fail when Craig was thrust into the starting line-up, and Landry Shamet suddenly was getting double-digit minutes. Then again, when you look at the Suns’ bench, it is a little thin in the kitchen.
Besides Craig, the two bench players that made the most appearances during the regular season were Damion Lee and Jock Landale. However, in round one, the two only played in five games combined after making the second and fourth most appearances for the team in the regular season.
A reliance on players who have been injured most of the season, like Shamet and Cameron Payne, while ignoring others who have been productive – Lee and Landale – and icing out new acquisitions brought in for this moment in Terrence Ross and TJ Warren, one has to wonder what Williams is thinking.
This team can be deep if the roster is used effectively on reliable players. If Williams can’t figure that out, we must hope Book’s legs hold up.
Negative 3: The first-quarter flops are back for the Suns
You hate to use the word, yips, so we will stick with flopping, but the fact of the matter is that Phoenix has a first-quarter problem. Being outscored by a team led by Kawhi Leonard is one thing; a team led by Norman Powell – the third or fourth-best player on the squad – is entirely different.
Perhaps Williams can fix the first-quarter conundrum by simply re-inserting Josh Okogie into the starting line-up, which would increase both the energy and movement early in the game; however, that alone may not be enough.
The first-quarter issues have been a problem all season for the Suns and can be traced back to last season’s playoffs when the team capitulated to Dallas with one of the worst first-quarters we have ever seen in 55 years of basketball in the valley. If Phoenix is truly going to fix their first-quarter quandary, they need to get over that beating and start giving them out in the first 12 minutes.
The Suns seem to own the third quarter, but to win an NBA championship, you need to own all four, and it starts with better starts. If Phoenix can fix their starts, improve the bench production by putting Craigh back on it, and find someone – Ayton, we are all looking at you – to step up and help carry the burden on the backs of Booker and Durant, then the team can advance. If not, it will be another summer of what-ifs.