An article I wrote on how amazing this team has really been. From scorchingsuns.com. GO SUNS!
At the beginning of the season, the Suns looked to be among the teams with the mindset of tanking this year. It looked like a good plan, to try to get a high draft pick in stacked draft that included the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. It became more obvious the top five was where they were headed when they dealt center Marcin Gortat to the Wizards before the season.
This left them with a depleted roster along with a rookie coach in Jeff Hornacek who no one knew what to expect from. Their starting lineup looked like this:
Eric Bledsoe – Goran Dragic – P.J Tucker – Channing Frye – Miles Plumlee
26 games into the season, their starting five still looks like that, and their 16-10. Eric Bledsoe was a backup point guard last year who showed promise here and there, and is now thriving in Phoenix averaging 19 points and 6 assists per game.
Dragic played well for Phoenix last year, but looked to maybe take a bit of a backseat to Bledsoe who also played point guard. But they have coexisted just fine and Dragic is averaging 18 PPG on 48% shooting, both stats up four points from last year. To top it off they even have a nickname, the “Slash Brothers,” and are two of 35 NBA players who are over 20 in the PER (Player Efficiency Rating) statistic.
Tucker didn’t seem like a viable starting option, and although he hasn’t been great, he’s been solid. He has hit 47% of his 3 pointers and has provided good defense as usual.
Frye missed all of last year with a enlarged heart, but has defied all odds and has returned to form this season. He is shooting 47% from the field and 44% from 3, which are both significantly better than his 2012 season.
And maybe most surprising of all is Miles Plumlee, who seemed like a first round bust out of Duke. Indiana dealt him as a throw in along with Gerald Green and a first round pick for Luis Scola, which seems like a incredible trade now. Plumlee has emerged as a consistent center playing 28 MPG in all 26 games and averaging 9.5 points and 8.7 rebounds on 50.9% shooting.
But of course we can’t mention the emergence of the Suns without talking about the outstanding bench. Markieff Morris leads them and is night in and night out a contributor. He averages a 12 and 6 and is shooting 49% from the field, a whopping 9% points higher than his last year 40%. His twin brother Marcus too has been solid. He averages 10 and 4 on 46% shooting, and it’s safe to say when they spell the starters, it’s not a let off at all, maybe even an upgrade.
And we cannot forget the last key member of the Suns bench Gerald Green has thrilled us all. He was always that guy who had all the athleticism and talent in the world but could never put it together. He has started 12 games this season and while he still jacks up shots, does so at a respectable 43% rate and 38% from deep. He has had a total of 41 points in his last two games, and seems to have broken out of a small slump to provide scoring off the bench.
All 8 of those players have exceeded expectations and as a group have started winning games. They have beaten many quality teams to start the season off, beating Portland twice, the Warriors once, and even the Rockets on the road. Jeff Hornacek has proven he was the right choice for the job, and is an early candidate for coach of the year.
So while the Blazers may be 23-5, this Suns team gets my vote for most surprising team thus far. The talent didn’t seem to be there to start the year, but everyone has contributed and helped out.
Again it is very early, and who knows they could turn into the team we expected them to be. But right now, they have 2 dynamic scoring guards, more than enough shooting to go around, and the best rookie coach in the NBA. They play unselfish, and have won 7 out of their last 8 games. They play a division foe next, the Lakers at home, and I guarantee it’ll be fun to watch.
At the beginning of the season, the Suns looked to be among the teams with the mindset of tanking this year. It looked like a good plan, to try to get a high draft pick in stacked draft that included the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. It became more obvious the top five was where they were headed when they dealt center Marcin Gortat to the Wizards before the season.
This left them with a depleted roster along with a rookie coach in Jeff Hornacek who no one knew what to expect from. Their starting lineup looked like this:
Eric Bledsoe – Goran Dragic – P.J Tucker – Channing Frye – Miles Plumlee
26 games into the season, their starting five still looks like that, and their 16-10. Eric Bledsoe was a backup point guard last year who showed promise here and there, and is now thriving in Phoenix averaging 19 points and 6 assists per game.
Dragic played well for Phoenix last year, but looked to maybe take a bit of a backseat to Bledsoe who also played point guard. But they have coexisted just fine and Dragic is averaging 18 PPG on 48% shooting, both stats up four points from last year. To top it off they even have a nickname, the “Slash Brothers,” and are two of 35 NBA players who are over 20 in the PER (Player Efficiency Rating) statistic.
Tucker didn’t seem like a viable starting option, and although he hasn’t been great, he’s been solid. He has hit 47% of his 3 pointers and has provided good defense as usual.
Frye missed all of last year with a enlarged heart, but has defied all odds and has returned to form this season. He is shooting 47% from the field and 44% from 3, which are both significantly better than his 2012 season.
And maybe most surprising of all is Miles Plumlee, who seemed like a first round bust out of Duke. Indiana dealt him as a throw in along with Gerald Green and a first round pick for Luis Scola, which seems like a incredible trade now. Plumlee has emerged as a consistent center playing 28 MPG in all 26 games and averaging 9.5 points and 8.7 rebounds on 50.9% shooting.
But of course we can’t mention the emergence of the Suns without talking about the outstanding bench. Markieff Morris leads them and is night in and night out a contributor. He averages a 12 and 6 and is shooting 49% from the field, a whopping 9% points higher than his last year 40%. His twin brother Marcus too has been solid. He averages 10 and 4 on 46% shooting, and it’s safe to say when they spell the starters, it’s not a let off at all, maybe even an upgrade.
And we cannot forget the last key member of the Suns bench Gerald Green has thrilled us all. He was always that guy who had all the athleticism and talent in the world but could never put it together. He has started 12 games this season and while he still jacks up shots, does so at a respectable 43% rate and 38% from deep. He has had a total of 41 points in his last two games, and seems to have broken out of a small slump to provide scoring off the bench.
All 8 of those players have exceeded expectations and as a group have started winning games. They have beaten many quality teams to start the season off, beating Portland twice, the Warriors once, and even the Rockets on the road. Jeff Hornacek has proven he was the right choice for the job, and is an early candidate for coach of the year.
So while the Blazers may be 23-5, this Suns team gets my vote for most surprising team thus far. The talent didn’t seem to be there to start the year, but everyone has contributed and helped out.
Again it is very early, and who knows they could turn into the team we expected them to be. But right now, they have 2 dynamic scoring guards, more than enough shooting to go around, and the best rookie coach in the NBA. They play unselfish, and have won 7 out of their last 8 games. They play a division foe next, the Lakers at home, and I guarantee it’ll be fun to watch.
