Kings @ Suns 1-8-18

[devilalum]

Does Booker raise the level of play of the guys around him?

I know it’s a cliche question but it’s reasonable. Some good players do and some don’t. Or are the players around him so bad that you can’t tell one way or the other?


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[AzStevenCal]

Does Booker raise the level of play of the guys around him?

I know it’s a cliche question but it’s reasonable. Some good players do and some don’t. Or are the players around him so bad that you can’t tell one way or the other?

I don't think he does, at least not much, although I do believe he is trying to do it. And I would also say that when he's healthy and playing the 2 his presence on the court gives other players shots they normally wouldn't get. When he's right, he draws a lot of defensive attention.

 

[1tinsoldier]

Does Booker raise the level of play of the guys around him?

clutch shots pump up teammates, but normally, no, he's no Magic or Nash, and not like a Jordan or Lebron type that can motivate others with their intensity and leadership on both ends of the court.

if Ayton had more fire in his belly he'd have more potential to raise the level of players around him

Booker said during the winning streak, the energy and defense was infectious.

Holmes, Bridges, JJ, and Oubre accumulate less stats, but raise the level of play of the guys around them.

i know it's true because us fans also get more pumped up when the team is stealing the ball, blocking shots, diving for loose balls, etc.. than when Booker makes a one on one move or long 3.

 

[Good Guy]

I thought I understood net plus-minus, but I guess I don't. What does it mean, exactly? It can't be true that the Suns have outscored their opponents throughout the season when Ayton is on the floor.

Which site do you use?

Just wanted to mention stats.nba.com for those that don't know about it. It is clean and has a ton of data and filters. You can see which 3-man lineups had the best net rating over the past 8 games, for example.

This is a link to the Suns on/off-court ratings for the season. https://stats.nba.com/team/1610612756/onoffcourt-summary/?sort=DIFF_NET_RATING&dir=1

The box scores within this part of the site also have clickable links to videos of certain stats for each player, so you can watch Melton's 4 steals or Jackson's 11 FGA. https://stats.nba.com/game/0021800604/

 

[Hoop Head]

Does Booker raise the level of play of the guys around him?

I don't know if he does or not at this point but I believe he has the potential to, for sure. I thought it was encouraging that after this win that is the first thing Oubre talked about, how they won it for Booker. That is a step in the right direction for Booker and the Suns as far as how he's viewed by his peers and teammates. He's looked at as the leader here and that's a positive. I think when he is moved back to SG, whenever that may be, he will be in a better position to make his teammates better because of what he's learned as being our fill in PG. He's really done a lot better handling PG than I expected him to and I'm sure I'm not alone in that regard. I think that's been part of the issue with how the team has been built also, since Booker showed he was decent as a PG there was no urgency placed on finding a PG to move him back to his natural position.

 

[taz02]

Booker is currently our best player. Booker also has flaws in his game like most players. Some flaws are pretty minor, the sort of things you can live with. such as the bad passes once and awhile, and an occasional bad shot.

He has two significant flaws that need fixed. He is a poor defender and often injured. He needs to improve his defense.

Ideally, once we land a PG Booker can redirect the effort he puts in running the team to improving his defense. For the most part his injuries seem like fluke issues that will hopefully not derail his career.

There are far bigger problems with this team than Booker. PG obviously, rebounding, the inability to get to the FT line.
and the fact that our best offensive line up is our worst defensive line up. It's nice to have that defensive jolt from the bench but a little balance would be nice.

 

[SirStefan32]

It is a heavy burden for a 22 year old kid to carry the team on his back. It is a heavy burden for a 22 year old kid to have to make others better when they are clearly not good/ developed. Booker has to do both, while playing somewhat out of position as well. Booker is so good that we forget he is a 22 year old kid. We won't see just how good he is and how much he can make everyone better iuntil he has a point guard and a few other contributors on the roster.

 

[taz02]

It is a heavy burden for a 22 year old kid to carry the team on his back. It is a heavy burden for a 22 year old kid to have to make others better when they are clearly not good/ developed. Booker has to do both, while playing somewhat out of position as well. Booker is so good that we forget he is a 22 year old kid. We won't see just how good he is and how much he can make everyone better iuntil he has a point guard and a few other contributors on the roster.

Yes, that is easy to forget. I hope management gets this straightened out soon...

 

[leclerc]

Yes, that is easy to forget. I hope management gets this straightened out soon...

...and his name is not Dennis Smith Junior. We don't need a scoring guard, we need a point guard, no? Maybe a Steph Curry could work. Ok, if Dennis can make threes and play defense maybe. Just don't want to see another Bledsoe Knight.

 

[JCSunsfan]

...and his name is not Dennis Smith Junior. We don't need a scoring guard, we need a point guard, no? Maybe a Steph Curry could work. Ok, if Dennis can make threes and play defense maybe. Just don't want to see another Bledsoe Knight.

DSJr. averaged 18 and 6.2 assists in college. He can pass the ball. He also plays D and he is a decent shooter. His athleticism and ability to get to the hoop are his best attributes. If we can get him cheap, we should.

 

[SirStefan32]

...and his name is not Dennis Smith Junior. We don't need a scoring guard, we need a point guard, no? Maybe a Steph Curry could work. Ok, if Dennis can make threes and play defense maybe. Just don't want to see another Bledsoe Knight.

With Smith, it really comes down to the cost of acquiring him. If he can be had on the very cheap side (Bucks pick, for example), it's fine. The worst case scenario is that he sucks and the Suns don't pick up his option for next season. Where I start being cautious about him is if the Suns give up anything of real value for him.

Additionally, Smith seems to have a hard time playing with Doncic. If he has trouble playing with Doncic, he may not like playing with Booker. If he plays well, then we get into another problem- how much money do you give to a player who has a history of injuries?

I guess I am OK with Smith as a stop gap measure, but I am really not excited about it.

 

[leclerc]

It's got to be a very cheap price to risk it in my opinion. Color me pessimistic. If DSJr can't cope with Doncic is it because Dennis needs the ball too much, is that something that will work on our team? I think they should give this one a pass.

 

[JCSunsfan]

With Smith, it really comes down to the cost of acquiring him. If he can be had on the very cheap side (Bucks pick, for example), it's fine. The worst case scenario is that he sucks and the Suns don't pick up his option for next season. Where I start being cautious about him is if the Suns give up anything of real value for him.

Additionally, Smith seems to have a hard time playing with Doncic. If he has trouble playing with Doncic, he may not like playing with Booker. If he plays well, then we get into another problem- how much money do you give to a player who has a history of injuries?

I guess I am OK with Smith as a stop gap measure, but I am really not excited about it.

I have been thinking about playing with Doncic and Booker. I don't think its apples and apples. Doncic needs the ball in his hands all the time. He is a distributor and scorer. Booker is a two guard who does very well off of the catch and shoot. Booker, honestly, needs to be handling the ball less. We only want him as a ball handler in select situations. I think Booker and Smith would work much better than Smith and Doncic, as long as Smith is willing to let others shoot.

If Lillard/McCollum, Wall/Beal, Paul/Harden, can work, I would think there is a possibility that Smith/Booker can too.

I agree though, it depends on the price. Daniels and the Bucks pick is probably fair and it works for both teams. Doncic gets another shooter to pass to, and they recoup a lousy first round pick.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I have been thinking about playing with Doncic and Booker. I don't think its apples and apples. Doncic needs the ball in his hands all the time. He is a distributor and scorer. Booker is a two guard who does very well off of the catch and shoot. Booker, honestly, needs to be handling the ball less. We only want him as a ball handler in select situations. I think Booker and Smith would work much better than Smith and Doncic, as long as Smith is willing to let others shoot.

If Lillard/McCollum, Wall/Beal, Paul/Harden, can work, I would think there is a possibility that Smith/Booker can too.

I agree though, it depends on the price. Daniels and the Bucks pick is probably fair and it works for both teams. Doncic gets another shooter to pass to, and they recoup a lousy first round pick.

Exactly. I think Booker would gladly spend some time off the ball getting catch and shoot opportunities as well as giving him some opportunity to conserve some energy to use on the other side of the floor.

 

[SirStefan32]

I have been thinking about playing with Doncic and Booker. I don't think its apples and apples. Doncic needs the ball in his hands all the time. He is a distributor and scorer. Booker is a two guard who does very well off of the catch and shoot. Booker, honestly, needs to be handling the ball less. We only want him as a ball handler in select situations. I think Booker and Smith would work much better than Smith and Doncic, as long as Smith is willing to let others shoot.

If Lillard/McCollum, Wall/Beal, Paul/Harden, can work, I would think there is a possibility that Smith/Booker can too.

I agree though, it depends on the price. Daniels and the Bucks pick is probably fair and it works for both teams. Doncic gets another shooter to pass to, and they recoup a lousy first round pick.

So, I agree, but I don't think Smith is a good (or a willing) distributor. Forget the assist numbers, just watch him for a couple of games. He does the whol Bledsoe/ Knight thing of driving to the hoop like a maniac and throwing up a terrible shot time after time after time. The problem is not that he is a bad player, it's that he thinks he is better than he is. He is very young, so he may be coachable and he may end up understanding that he is a fourth option offensively, but if Carlisle hasn't been able to convince him of that, I doubt anyone can, and this is coming from a huge Igor fan.

In your examples, those combinations work because Lillard, Wall, and Paul are actually very good players and very good facilitators who can also be effective off the ball. Smith is just not a Lillard or a Wall or a Paul.

 

[SirStefan32]

Exactly. I think Booker would gladly spend some time off the ball getting catch and shoot opportunities as well as giving him some opportunity to conserve some energy to use on the other side of the floor.

Oh I am sure he would, but Smith isn't gonna get you many catch and shoot opportunities. That's the whole problem with Smith. He is a scorer.

 

[1tinsoldier]

we should keep our eye on the prize
we have a potentially dominant big-man who will only get any where near being the "generational" center hoped for
if he's paired with an above average passing point guard

that's a plan. and it should be THE plan
many have said it
a pass-first, defensive piece to our puzzle
that complements our 2 franchise cornerstones

pass if that ain't Smith or if he potentially complicates or redirects our focus from the master plan
(as did the hiring of Dragic, Bledsoe and Thomas without a plan, and us collecting small forwards)

there's some valid talk of not investing in more rookies next season
but if one potentially fits, and an established pg doesn't
i've got one more nail-biting, ping-pong off-season in me

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Oh I am sure he would, but Smith isn't gonna get you many catch and shoot opportunities. That's the whole problem with Smith. He is a scorer.

I think smith is a willing passer and at least a decent one. He had about 35% AST% in college and about 30% last year. He may not be an elite passer, but a PG that is a willing passer and is capable of attacking the basket would fit quite well on our team. The question would be what it would cost to get him and if we can do it without giving up to much I would make the trade in a heartbeat.

 

[JCSunsfan]

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[JCSunsfan]

I am just not all that sure that DSJr has to be a no pass pg. He not only does pass, he is a very good passer. In fact we have seen some amazing passes from him. He also has improved his shooting significantly this year and he is a good defender. He might not be the answer, but he is sure worth a look.

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