5 Advantages Phoenix Suns have over every other West team
By Tyler Watts
2. Mid-range
The Suns make 6.4 mid-range jumpers per game, which is far and away the best in the Western Conference. The defending champion Nuggets are the only other team making over five with Dallas, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans rounding out the top five. Phoenix is fifth in the NBA in mid-range percentage and trails only the Thunder in the West.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are two of the best mid-range shooters in the world. KD is second in the NBA behind in makes per game and is shooting 49.3 percent from the mid-range. Booker is fourth in makes and connecting on over 46 percent.
Teams will attempt to limit threes and shots at the rim in the playoffs, which makes the Suns even more dangerous. Durant and Booker can score from anywhere on the floor. Bradley Beal is an elite scorer and shot-maker in his own right. Phoenix will take whatever the defense gives them and figures to be a problem in the mid-range throughout the playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns' biggest edge is not in a specific play type or style but in the talent on their roster. It is difficult to build a Big 3 with the second tax apron looming, but the Suns hope their premier talent proves to be the difference in the postseason.