The Phoenix Suns' preseason run is in the books, and the main takeaway is that Oso Ighodaro has likely won the battle to be the starting center come opening night. There have been other storylines developing in the background, and Head Coach Jordan Ott's continued desire to feature backup guard Jamaree Bouyea so heavily in the offense is a future issue for the team among them.
Offensive freedom hurting Suns' chances of winning
The fact that the Suns went 1-4 in preseason action is not important, but what is worrying are the times when Bouyea has checked into a game and taken on a bit too much of the offensive load. This has often coincided with the team allowing a lead to slip away from them, with the roster having too many other options to continue trusting Bouyea to make as many shots as he is taking.
In the most recent defeat at the hands of the Utah Jazz, Bouyea took nine attempts coming off the bench, the most of any player who did not start. Granted, he had the most points from that group (12) as well, while playing 14 minutes, but consider that Collin Gillespie played 20 minutes and had only three attempts. Aren't both supposed to be point guards for this group?
Gillespie was given a four-year, $48 million contract ot return to Phoenix this summer as well, and choosing to highlight Bouyea more than him seems short-sighted. Prior to that, Bouyea started and played a team-high 28 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs. Coach Ott was resting his starters for that one, but it was Bouyea who profited.
He finished tied for the most points with 15, though he again led the Suns in field-goal attempts with 11. Ryan Dunn was the other joint top scorer, going a perfect 6-for-6 and working his way back into the rotation at the perfect time. The Suns lost by 20. Again, the result is not important, but how the Suns arrived there certainly is, and it has been too much of Bouyea with the ball in his hands.
Bouyea best suited to being used in Jordan Goodwin type role
Bouyea still has his uses for the franchise, and we saw him be much more effective in a Jordan Goodwin-type role last season. He's a bigger guard who can slide in next to Devin Booker or Jalen Green and take the tougher defensive assignment. He is also capable of playing with Goodwin, as we saw the Suns use successfully on several occasions, defending bigger players and taking the shots that come his way.
It is easy to see why Coach Ott values him so much. He is a veteran presence who takes care of the ball, plays consistently well in the minutes he is given and is versatile enough to slot into different lineups. Giving him more control of the offense in preseason was a nice reward for his hard work and a way to see if there was perhaps anything there to work with moving forward.
There wasn't, and that is ok. Featuring him less moving forward is the right way to proceed.
Add us as a preferred source on Google