Coming out of All-Star Weekend, the Phoenix Suns may finally be at full strength, with Devin Booker and Jalen Green hopefully leaving their ankle and hamstring injuries (respectively) behind and Grayson Allen set to be re-evaluated for his knee injury.
Now that the Suns may finally reach full strength, it begs the question -
What do the Suns look like at the peak of their powers?
First, you need to look at what the Suns' strengths have been this season, and then identify the group of players that best play to these strengths.
The Suns have built an identity on hustle, and many of their key stats can be attributed to that identity. Most notably, the Suns are 2nd in the NBA in steals, which has led them to ranking 2nd in deflections and 3rd in points off turnovers.
They also exhibit this hustle and focus on winning the possession battle with loose balls, ranking 5th in loose balls recovered. Another largely hustle-based stat, the Suns rank 5th in offensive rebounds, which has led them to ranking 7th in second chance points.
On offense, they've found success in their 3PT shooting, ranking 6th in 3PA and 10th in 3P%. Winning the possession battle, crashing the glass, and shooting 3s - these are their keys to success.
When searching for the optimal Suns lineup, it has to start with their star talent, Booker. Not only do the players in this lineup need to match the team's strengths, but they also need to compliment Booker.
That means they need to be players that can space the floor for Booker and make teams pay for focusing their attention on him. These should also be players that can help free up Booker, and not have to rely on him being the one with the ball in his hands, creating the offense.
As we enter the latter half of the season, this is when the Suns need to further build upon the successful chemistry they've built so far.
With players in and out of the lineup this season, the big issue this has presented is their lack of extensive minutes played amongst their key players. So, when looking for a lineup that both has extensive experience together AND has been successful, the options are really narrowed down.
The answer to this question may not be a surprising one. In terms of NETRTG, among lineups that have played substantial minutes (min. 100 MIN), the best lineup that features Devin Booker is also the Suns' most popular: Collin Gillespie, Booker, Royce O'Neale, Dillon Brooks, and Mark Williams.
Brooks, the heart of this team and 2nd-leading scorer, and Williams, the team's anchor and leading rebounder, are essentially a lock for the lineup.
O'Neale, leading the NBA in blowbys, has had his lapses on defense, but as the team's oldest player (at 32-years-old) and holding the second-highest 3P% on the team (among qualified players), he's the relieving veteran presence the lineup needs.
With the plethora of guard options the Suns boast, Gillespie may seem to be the one that's interchangeable here, but he plays a key role in the balance of this lineup.
The only other lineup (with Booker) that has played at least 100 minutes has Gillespie swapped out for Grayson Allen, and with that lineup, the NETRTG falls to 1.4 (from 9.9). Gillespie, leading the team in 3P% (among qualified players) and 2nd in assists, brings the offensive production that's needed beside Booker, and the defensive pressure the lineup needs (2nd on the team in steals).
A player that can both orchestrate the offense and space the floor, allowing the Suns to focus on utilizing Booker rather than relying on him (almost reminiscent of the pairing of Booker and Chris Paul).
The one caveat to all of this is Jalen Green, the 21.0 PPG leading scorer of last season's 52-win Rockets team. We have not seen much of him this season, but from what we have seen, he's shown flashes of being the player the Suns have been missing, making him an ideal long-term partner to Devin Booker.
In these limited minutes, Green leads the Suns in NETRTG (at 24.5) by a large margin, offering a glimpse to his potential to bring this team to the next level. Also, it's important to note the chemistry between Gillespie, the player that would likely exit the lineup for Green, and Oso Ighodaro. Among pairings with at least 700 minutes, Collin and Oso lead the Suns in NETRTG (8.9).
The dynamism of Jalen Green offers the Suns their highest ceiling, but as the Suns focus on success this season, the solution (at least for now) should be pairing Booker with Collin Gillespie, who he's been able to build a foundation for success with.