The Phoenix Suns are facing an uphill battle to even the series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that doesn't mean there aren't any adjustments they can make in Game 2.
Dillon Brooks needs to shoot less and defend more
By far one of the easiest, and potentially most impactful, is taking the ball out of the hands of Dillon Brooks some on the offensive end.
Brooks was arguably the Suns' player of the season for how his will to win helped lead the Suns to the playoffs, and at worst he should be the third option offensively.
But in the Game 1 hammering out in Oklahoma City, he went 6-of-22 from the field, including 3-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc.
To put that into some context, Brooks took more field goals at 22 than the entire bench combined (21).
It was also more attempts than Jalen Green (16) and Devin Booker (17), and simply distributing some of those shots to other players could help the Suns unlock the Thunder's stubborn defense.
They have so much quality throughout their ranks that they can afford to put a Jalen Williams or Lu Dort on Brooks for certain possessions, and still have Green and Booker well covered.
But if another role player could step up and begin to make the Thunder think about covering them more, it would open up space for everybody else (including Brooks) to get their shot off more cleanly.
Collin Gillespie would appear to be the obvious solution here, but his playoff struggles have taken the shine off what was a career year in The Valley.
Grayson Allen is another who can spread the floor, but his status is unclear thanks to a hamstring issue that has once again struck at the worst time.
Even 15 attempts from center Mark Williams around the basket would help, only he too is currently out with a mystery foot issue that does not bode well for his chances of a hefty extension this summer.
But with those players unavailable, coach Ott may be forced to turn to rookie Rasheer Fleming to see if the surprise factor of his inclusion can again pay off.
He was a perfect 3-of-3 (all from beyond the arc) in Game 1, and has some size to at least put opponents off on the other end of the court.
It is not much, and really it doesn't feel like enough to prolong this series, but if Brooks isn't going off then they need to take the ball out of hands some to be competitive in Game 2.
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