Chimezie Metu at Power Forward
If the Suns do decide to play a bigger, more defensive-oriented unit, they’ve shown that they have the personnel to do so effectively. That’s mainly due to the emergence of Chimezie Metu as a valuable rotation piece.
The 6’10 Metu perfectly fits the mold of a modern four with his ability to space the floor while being a secondary rim protector.
The two man lineup of he and Jusuf Nurkić has a great defensive rating of 109.6 across 67 minutes together. Increasing Metu’s playing time, or even inserting him into the starting lineup against certain teams, is a strategy Vogel now has at his disposal.
After the Suns last game, it’s also impossible to ignore the possibility that Bol Bol plays a bigger role going forward. He showed out in his first extended run of the year, primarily playing in a two big lineup next to Metu.
That lineup (Gordon-Beal-Okogie-Metu-Bol) dominated with an O-rating of 115 and a D-rating of 80 for a net of +35. If Bol can consistently provide the rim protection and offensive ability that was on display in that game, then Vogel will have yet another lineup option he can turn to.