Missing out on the playoffs yet again, it seems as if the Phoenix Suns are finally ready to get out of rebuilding mode. Getting two gems in draft picks in the past years with DeAndre Ayton & Devin Booker, the Suns front office is finally making some big strides to surround this duo with players who compliment their game.
The Phoenix Suns finally moved on from Ricky Rubio & have recently acquired all-star guard Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now let's have a look at how this affects Phoenix.
Chris Paul was a point 'god' back in his prime & has always been a sub-par playmaker. It was not until recent times that he had to take up a lot of load on offense during his time with the Thunder. But I for one feel that this trade would definitely work out for Chris Paul & also the Phoenix Suns. Being a pass-first mentality type player, Paul attracts a lot of attention on defense leaving DeAndre Ayton open for alley-oops or losing track of Devin Booker behind the 3point line. Paul is exceptional at finding the open man & who better to pass it to than this young Suns duo.
Devin Booker has shown the league what he's made up of with some amazing performances over the years and has become the primary scoring option on offense for the Suns. Booker is a scoring machine. Booker once dropped 70 points in a loss to the Boston Celtics. That has been the highest anyone has scored in a single game since Kobe Bryant's 81 point performance against the Toronto Raptors. So there's no doubt that Booker can fill it up on any given night.
And onto their bigman DeAndre Ayton. Drafted number 1 overall in the 2018 draft, Ayton was an impact player right from the start. A glass cleaning finisher, Ayton gets a ton of rebounds by out-hustling other players on the court and then finishing those second chance points. Apart from rebounding, Ayton can surely hold his own in the post, both on offense and defense.
Video: Booker & Ayton leading the Phoenix Suns
Picked up in the same draft as DeAndre Ayton, with the 10th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2018 NBA draft the Phoenix Suns drafted Mikal Bridges. Out of Villanova University, Bridges was a 3 & D guy. Someone who specializes in being a 3point specialist & a lockdown defender, at the small forward position Bridges has been able to make a statement with his performance & hustle, solidifying his role on the roster.
The power forward position is played by the Croatian, Dario Saric. At 6'10, Saric is a knockdown shooter from the mid-range. Though he provides floor spacing for the Suns with his 3point shooting, being a bigman Saric is also an amazing ball handler & has an eye for the open man on the floor.
The trade for Chris Paul sent Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome & Jalen Lecque to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oubre was a tempo pusher. An energy guy off the bench, Oubre was an important part of the lineup & with him gone, I think the best move would be to add more bench depth to the team. The starting lineup for the Phoenix Suns consists of 3 young guys & 2 veterans on the floor.
Jae Crowder has also been a nice addition to the team. Crowder opted out with the Miami Heat to join the Phoenix Suns. Crowder is a stretch 4, a floor spacing power forward who can also play small forward. Crowder has high knowledge of the game & will help the young players develop in Phoenix.
Though the Suns drafted a stretch 4 in the 2019 draft with Cameron Johnson, he still has to work on his game & it's still too early to tell if that will turn out to be a bust or not.
I'd expect the Suns to definitely have a better record than before but they'll need a little more firepower than just adding Chris Paul to the roster. But I don't expect the Suns to be making the playoffs next year either.
Current Superstars - Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton.
Past Superstars - Amare Stoudamire, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion.
Past Legends - Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Paul Westphal, Walter Davis.
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