Phoenix Suns Finally Figuring out How 3 Point Guard Attack Can Work
It doesn't get much more baffling than the Phoenix Suns' dichotomous December.
Just when things were summed up by a six-game losing streak, head coach Jeff Hornacek's ever-overachieving ensemble cast turned things around in a big way—a six-game winning streak kind of way. Notwithstanding Tuesday night's 110-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, which snapped that streak, the Suns are clearly in a better place than they were just weeks ago.
Led in scoring by three stars who play the same point guard position, general manager Ryan McDonough's unconventional experiment has begun to yield serious dividends.
It might even mean a playoff payoff after falling one contest short of qualifying a season ago. Then, the combination of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe proved capable of sharing the handling and playmaking duties. With this summer's sign-and-trade acquisition of Isaiah Thomas from the Sacramento Kings, however, this season's first order of business was integrating a third floor general into the equation.
There were no guarantees it would work, and Thomas knew as much, as he told NBA.com's David Aldridge earlier this month:
"I really went home, talked to my family, prayed on it. I really tried to envision how it would really work, 'cause it didn't make sense. But when they put it on paper and they told me I was going to be a big part of what they do here, I believed them. I felt like they were genuine. And we've had ups and downs this season, but at the end of the day we're trying to do the best we can to make it work. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. We tried. But we're doing the best we can to make it work and we're doing the best we can for this team.
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The 25-year-old noted that Hornacek has begun deploying the trio together more frequently, and his playing time has increased this month by 3.3 minutes per game since November. For the season, his 24.8 minutes per contest still represent a significant departure from the 34.7 minutes he averaged a season ago, but all that really matters are the results.
And with the recent streak, including victories against the likes of the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks, something's clicking.
Sometimes, anyway.
"Our vibe is hot and cold," Dragic told reporters before Phoenix's win against the New York Knicks. "It's kind of disturbing."
In fairness, the Suns' six-game skid did include defeats to the Houston Rockets and a healthy iteration of the Oklahoma City Thunder—and it's hard to get too upset about a narrow 121-120 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. But one also cannot be overly pleased about a club that still sits in eighth place in an unforgiving Western Conference.
The real question is whether this guard-heavy rotation can keep it there, or—ideally—help secure even better seeding so as to avert another tight race with teams like the Pelicans and the Kings at the finish line. For the Suns to have a chance, one of last season's playoff qualifiers would also have to be squeezed from consideration, and there's certainly no guarantee that will happen.
So while it's encouraging that Dragic, Bledsoe and Thomas are all posting at least 15 points and four assists per game, they may have to be even better down the stretch.
Thomas told Aldridge:
"I think we've got to become a more consistent team, first and foremost. Every night, we've got to bring it. We've got to know that even with the great teams, and the not-so-great teams, we've got to play one way at all times. We've had a couple of tough losses this year that we thought we should have won, but that's behind us. It's going to be ups and downs, but in that Western Conference, there's no room for error. There's no room for slippage. You lose a few, somebody wins a few, you drop a lot. We know how close it is in the playoff race. We've got to really buckle down, lock it in. We know that every game really counts.
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Grit and determination help, but they're no substitute for sound chemistry—particularly in that backcourt.
After all, Thomas hasn't been the only one to sacrifice so far. Dragic's minutes, field-goal attempts and assists have all declined from a season ago. Per Hollinger Player Stats, his usage rate has gone from 24.1 in 2013-14 to just 21.1 this season.
And while Bledsoe's playing time remains unchanged at 32.9 minutes per contest after inking a five-year, $70 million contract extension this summer, uneven shooting curbed his scoring output.
One doesn't have to be a mathematician to foresee potential problems. Using two or three point guards at the same time can create defensive matchup problems against larger swingmen, especially those capable of backing their opponents down in the post. It would be one thing if the Suns boasted an unusually long floor general (like Michael Carter-Williams or Shaun Livingston), but Dragic is their tallest at 6'3".
And as Dragic told reporters in November when queried about the team's early struggles: "Because there's only one ball and we're all point guards. That's an easy answer. ... It's hard. That's sacrifice. If Isaiah's playing well, he's going to stay in. Me and Eric, it depends who is playing better and who is going to be on the court. The other guy is going to be on the bench. It's the way it is. We need to embrace that."
It appears they've done just that, trading in individual glory and All-Star chances in order to make something of McDonough's vision.
At its best, the Suns' undersized attack capitalizes on quickness and diversified skill sets to overwhelm defenders. All three point guards can shoot, slash and create for others—creating a pick-your-poison dynamic capable of causing all manner of havoc.
There are almost certainly kinks still to be ironed out, and Thomas' 2-of-10 outing against New Orleans suggests as much. Phoenix cannot live by point guards alone, no matter how tempting that may be.
But this is no time for cynicism. The Suns haven't looked this good since March, when another six-game winning streak offered hope for the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2010. If the point guard posse keeps clicking, that drought may end soon.
If it doesn't, change may come soon enough. Dragic will likely decline his $7.5 million option and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Should the Suns become convinced he'll depart as one, they could even trade him beforehand.
For now, however, the three-headed attack is still alive and is beginning to play increasingly well.
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