These three things will be indicators of how much progress the team has made from a season ago.
In less than 96 hours, Phoenix Suns Basketball will be officially back. Wednesday night, the Valley will play their first regular season game of the 2024-2025 season, facing off against the Los Angeles Clippers in an ESPN showdown at the newly opened Intuit Dome.
It’s a new year. There’s a new coach, new point guards, and a few promising rookies. Here are three things to watch for from the Suns early on in the season to see how they compare to the squad a season ago.
Team Turnover Numbers
The Suns averaged 10.8 turnovers per game last season, the eighth most in the association. With the additions of Monté Morris and Tyus Jones, that number should go down. It’s well documented that the elite assist-to-turnover ratio numbers both of them annually possess and that should translate to a more organized offense and better consistent ball control for the Suns.
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With both Jones and Morris handling the rock and organizing the offense, the Suns’ Big Three should spend less time handling the ball as facilitators and more as playmakers, where they excel the most. One of the main problems for the Suns last year was that the Big Three had undefined roles on offense at times.
Additionally, having a solidified ball handler could lead to better fourth quarters from the team compared to a season ago. In the 2023-2024 season, the team relied too much on the hero ball at times in the final moments, leading to many disappointing losses.
Defensive Rankings
The Suns were 11th in defensive rating a season ago. Despite being constantly criticized for his offensive and playing time decisions, Frank Vogel stayed true to his brand and produced a strong defense for the Valley; an impressive feat considering the defensive personnel and the energy that the Big Three needed to exert on energy to run the team’s offense.
Despite nine players from last season’s team returning, both Jones and Morris will be playing heavy minutes. They are both short and are defensive liabilities.
New Phoenix Head Coach Mike Budenholzer is known as a defensive guru, but his ability to keep the Suns a strong to formidable defensive team could have major ramifications on the team’s offensive production, as well as their record.
If the Suns aren’t a strong, or respectable defensive unit, look for them to increase the playing time for rookie Ryan Dunn and Josh Okogie; both players who struggle on offense, but are strong on defense. Also, look for them to use Josh Okogie’s contract as a vehicle to trade for more defensive help
Three Point Attempts
The Suns came in at 21st in three-point attempts a game a season ago, shooting 32.6 a contest. The Suns need to raise that number if they are serious about contending for a title.
Coach Bud on shooting more 3s
Ahem, @DarthVoita pic.twitter.com/dG9jujK58n
— PositiveVibesOnly (@SoSaysJ) October 19, 2024
Since he took over as head coach, Mike Budenholzer has said that the Suns need to take a lot of threes.
On their way to a title, Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla had his team shoot 42.5 threes a game last season, the most in the NBA. On their way to a finals appearance, Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd had his team shoot 39.5 threes a game last season.
To be objective, it’s fair to point out that six of the teams in the top 10 in threes attempted per game last year did not make the playoffs. However, it is highly documented the mathematical advantage teams have when they take more threes, and with the squad employing elite sharpshooters like Grayson Allen, who led the league in three-point percentage, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant, the team needs to take advantage of their personnel’s strengths and take more triples.