Where do the Phoenix Suns find themselves sitting after the NBA schedule release this week?
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!NBA.com’s John Schuhmann places them fifth in the Western Conference in his offseason power rankings behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Schuhmann notes their key additions as Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris and key departures as Eric Gordon and Drew Eubanks.
He adds:
“Three numbers to know:
- The Suns ranked 10th offensively overall, but had the third most efficient offense (115.7 points scored per 100 possessions) against the league’s top 10 defenses. And those 26 games include two in which they scored more than 130 points per 100 possessions against the top-ranked Wolves.
- They were the league’s worst fourth-quarter team by a huge margin, getting outscored by 11.6 points per 100 possessions.
- As they got swept by Minnesota, they allowed 123.2 points per 100 possessions, the highest mark in the first round and 8.6 per 100 more than the Wolves scored in the regular season (when they ranked 17th offensively).
Key question: How much will a point guard help?
The Suns return a starting lineup that outscored opponents by 11.1 points per 100 possessions, the fourth best mark among 21 lineups that played at least 300 minutes. And as noted above, they had a great offense against the league’s best defenses.
But Jones was an incredible pick-up on a minimum contract, and he can help them on both ends of the floor. Not only has he led the league in assist/turnover ratio in each of the last six seasons, but he’s one of two players – Jimmy Butler is the other – that have had more steals than personal fouls in each of the last six. Most important may be taking some of the playmaking burden off Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, allowing those guys to be better on both ends of the floor.”
The Suns finished last season with a 49-33 record and were the sixth seed in the West before being swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
Turnovers were perhaps the most glaring statistical weakness of the team (14.9 per game, 25th in NBA), and the Suns answered this problem by getting the two best assist-to-turnover ratio players in NBA history in Tyus Jones and Monte Morris.
Perhaps more importantly, Phoenix brought in coach Mike Budenholzer who could completely change the team’s offensive style after a lot of stagnant and inconsistent play under former coach Frank Vogel, as reflected in the fourth quarter and turnover stats.
The West will not be getting any easier, however, with contending teams continuing to add key players to their already-good rotations. This is how the rest of the Western Conference shapes up in Schuhmann’s rankings:
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Denver Nuggets
- Dallas Mavericks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Phoenix Suns
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Golden State Warriors
- Sacramento Kings
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Houston Rockets
- Los Angeles Lakers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Utah Jazz
- Portland Trail Blazers
Do you agree with Schuhmann’s placement for the Suns?
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
