The Suns have advanced this season, finishing second in the regular season in the West, eliminating defending champion Lakers in the first round and winning big in both semifinals with the Nuggets to take a 2-0 lead. Why the team that has been hovering at the bottom for ten years has suddenly achieved such a big jump, of course, all this is not without a trace.
The last glorious era
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the beginning of the change, Jones became general manager:</h1>
Savoor hired Jones as the team's vice president of basketball operations in the summer of '17 and asked him to be ready to take on a higher position that would allow him to bring his success to management. In his 14-year career, Jones's team has never won less than 50 percent, winning three championships and missing only one playoff. In the fall of '18, Savor fired Macdonald and appointed Jones as interim general manager, and a year later, he was officially appointed general manager.
Change starts from that moment.
Jones took office, first building up the coaching staff, hiring Monty Williams as the team's new manager, a successful coach, and over the next two seasons, Jones overhauled the Suns' roster to add some players who were hungry for victory. 他手里握着不少高顺位选秀权，带来了德安德鲁艾顿，卡梅隆约翰逊和布里奇斯。 In the summer of 2019, he signed Ricky Rubio, got Saric on a trade, and selected Cameron Johnson, and after the Suns finished playing in Oakland last year, Jones exchanged Rubio for Chris Paul, while signing two veterans, Claude and Moore. On their bench sits efficient players like Kaminskipan and Nader, and after some maneuvering, the Suns have assembled the most complete lineup in the league, with players in each position doing their jobs, and each player getting their rightful place, especially the future superstar.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Booker's metamorphosis</h1>
Booker started his career in Phoenix, where he also had his toughest years, starting in 2015, when he won an average of 22 games in his first four seasons under four different coaches, but he has become the league's best scorer. Some have called him a data brush for this – which is clearly unfair.
This season can't change the perception of him, he shot 62.2% from the field, averaged 27.9 points and 4.5 assists per game, was named the Western Conference Player of the Month in February, helped the Suns achieve a 12-3 record, and against other top scorers, he performed on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends.
Booker is a well-rounded scorer who can shoot and score from any position, and can also reach the basket directly to complete the finish, and like other scorers, no one in the league can guarantee that he will be completely restrained in a one-on-one situation. Booker has enjoyed the ball for years, which has also led to his no-ball skills being wasted, as no one on the Suns can send him a pass, and Paul's arrival has made Booker's game more balanced, and this season his possession per game has dropped to 4.1 minutes per game, ranking 53rd in the league, a new low in the 16-17 season. Now, his shooting is simpler. When Paul was on the court, he had 46 percent of the possession time, fifth in the league, with only Doncic, Trae Young, Lillard and Wall having more possession than him, allowing Booker to pick his favorite spot and wait for a pass.
Paul's influence on Booker
In fact, Booker's shooting style and efficiency have not changed significantly, but it has improved slightly, because since last season, he has been assigned a real point guard, and the difference this season is that Rubio has replaced Paul. In the 18-19 season, he only had Crawford by his side, which was obviously an improvement for Booker's cover shots and catch shots.
When Booker first entered the league, some people used to compare him to Thompson, and judging by the performance of this season, this is not unfounded. Paul is a well-known blocker in the league, he passed on his experience to Booker Ayton without reservation, which made a subtle change in Booker's playing style, when he and Ayton blocking and dismantling became more and more skilled, when he could better use the space that his teammates pulled for himself, when the opponent left room for him to catch the ball, Booker was always able to complete the game in his own way. By saving energy on the offensive end, Booker can put more energy into the defense. In game 6 against the Lakers, Booker scored 47 points to help the team reach the second round.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > practical role player</h1>
Four years ago, Booker became the first player in the team's history to score 70 points against the Celtics, and now his teammate Claude was a Celtic player at the time. In last year's playoffs, Crowder did well. But the Heat were only willing to offer him a $14 million contract, which also included the second year's team selection, but the Suns were willing to give him a three-year, thirty million-dollar contract, And Crowder said that after last season's resumption, the Suns made a good impression on him, and when he became a free agent, Booker was the first player to call him, and he also naturally went to Phoenix.
Booker and Paul are the Suns' most watched players, and the reason why the Suns can improve is of course the strength rotation players like Crowder. The Suns' game looks very fluid, the ball is passed in everyone's hand, find a three-point shot for Booker, find an opportunity for Ayton to find an empty dunk; Bridges will dribble the ball to the defender, forcing the opponent to change defenses; Crowder will cut into or pull out of the outside line after cover, waiting for the best time to hit the ball; of course, can not ignore Payne, his bounce outside the three-point line is an important magic weapon for the Suns to defeat the Lakers - the tactics are very basic. But it was these small details that made the Suns a truly strong team.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Zhuangyuanxiu grew up</h1>
A few months before Jones took over, the Suns drafted Ayton, who grew not as fast as Doncic and Trae Young, but he was by no means a parallel, especially last season. What made Ayton change so much?
"Being banned for 25 games last season because of the drug ban made me think a lot," the 22-year-old said, "I let the team and the fans down, I endured online violence, which I deserved, but I also learned to think positively, I had to prove myself, that feeling like a person who fell into a trough." The Suns' personnel structure also helped Ayton, who started playing basketball at the age of 12 and until then he had been playing football in the Bahamas. It wasn't until he moved to San Diego that he was exposed to basketball. Growing up in Ayton, he lived in a coaching home and a host family, which made him very dependent on those who were older, and the Suns provided him with the most comfortable environment, and Monty Williams and Jones also helped "Dumbo" through the most difficult stages of his life.
Importantly, the Suns don't need Ayton to do the same thing every day, Booker and Paul are the team's offensive engines, and what Ayton has to do is usually simple — defend, protect rebounds, pass, finish cover and finish inside. Ayton and Paul are the best blocking duo in the league during this season's game, which is also the core driving force of the Suns, and Ayton's cover has won opportunities for other teammates. Although scoring to a career-low, Ayton's true shooting percentage reached a career-high of 62.7%, and he no longer participates heavily in offense, but can be the perfect barrier. Ayton has been improving his game for the past three years, eventually becoming a stable and effective defender, and although he can only deliver 1.1 blocks per game, he can't reflect the true defensive efficiency of the dunks, and his protection of the basket has taken the Suns' defense to a higher level.
At the same time, Ayton is also stepping up his pace, his Saric often in the game to the outside line to limit the opposing pitcher, Saric is more experienced, but the Sun still hope that Ayton grows into a stable outside defender, just like the Heat Adebayo and the Lakers Davis did. Fortunately, in the playoffs, he did a good job, in the first three games against Davis, he was not "swallowed alive" by the thick eyebrows as expected, and also showed his own sense of basketball presence; and in the game with the Nuggets, his confrontation with the new MVP Jokic is also not too inferior, and the back-and-forth of the inside showdown is also a key factor for the Suns to achieve 2:0.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Chris Paul</h1>
Strictly speaking, Paul is not the first core of the Suns, but he is indeed the biggest factor in the transformation of the Sun.
Paul's arrival, in the traditional language, is that he can make the Suns learn to "slow down", learn to think and polish the position offense. As a true core launch point, an offensive commander tower, his excellent possession may be different, and he does not reduce his amount of exercise due to age, but plays as before. Admittedly, Paul could no longer dominate the game as he had in the past. As his physical function declined, Paul stopped making a big deal out of it, but watched the young people unleash their talents. But as long as it comes to the critical moment, Paul can still show the blade. The distance in his hand, although abandoned by this era, was the most handy weapon in Paul's hand. This season he played in a way that went against the trend of the times, but that was the most familiar version of himself.
Coupled with his desire to win, his leadership in the dressing room can help the team to victory.
Up to now, with the exception of the hit Brooklyn Nets, none of the four teams in the West have reached the top. Compared to the Lack of Murray's Nuggets and the Clippers with a weak interior, the Suns and Jazz are undoubtedly the biggest favorites to play for the West, and considering the advantages of the regular season, dare to think about it. Am I a championship?